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Russia's foreign minister questioned NATO's sincerity on Thursday after leaked US cables revealed a plan to protect the Baltic states from a Russian threat, Russian news agencies reported.
"With one hand, NATO agrees with us on joint partnership but with the other hand it takes the decision that it needs to defend itself," Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow, quoted by the Interfax news agency.
"When is NATO more sincere?" Lavrov asked. "We have asked these questions and await answers. We think we have the right."
It's the Wests defense against possible future threats from say China and or India.
This is not about Russian first strike or US/West first strike capability. People need to stop thinking 20th Cold-War mentality. This is now West vs East. Not the US/NATO vs Russia/Warsaw pact anymore.
Russia on Thursday warned Poland against hosting US F-16 fighter jets, possibly from 2013, saying it would work to counter the move.
Poland's Defence Minister Bogdan Klich announced last month that his country would accept a US proposal to host rotations of F-16 and Hercules transport aircraft and their crews on its territory.
"I hope this will begin in 2013," Klich had told Poland's TOK FM commercial radio station.
A statement issued by the Russian defence ministry said Thursday Moscow would "take into account the American-Polish plans and carry out [its] own armed forces development projects".
Missile Defense
---------------
¶5. (U) In the one-on-one meeting before the plenary, Nykonenko told Van Diepen that Ukraine had read with interest the new U.S. plan for missile defense in Europe. Nykonenko pointed out that Ukraine had missile defense expertise and was interested in continued missile defense cooperation, which could help reconfirm Ukraine’s role in the new European security architecture. It was ‘very important’ for Ukraine to receive positive signals from the U.S., he said. Van Diepen replied that the U.S. would be looking forward to discussing missile defense with Ukraine the following week during the meetings in Kyiv led by Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Vershbow.
Security Assurances
-------------------
¶6. (S) The first item Nykonenko raised during the one-on-meeting was an appeal for additional security assurances for Ukraine, beyond those the U.S. had provided in the 1994 Budapest Declaration. He explained that Ukraine felt threatened, particularly after the Russian invasion of Georgia. Ukraine needed a security anchor to fill the vacuum until it could join NATO.
The Russian government has started realising its threat on installation of tactical and strategic missile systems of various types on bases on its southern flank in response to the creation of a tactical missile defense by the United States and NATO.
The range of the Ball complex actually covers the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku city. It should be noted that Russia is also deploying along the border with NATO the Iskander missile system capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and began replacing single-warhead nuclear missiles Topol-M with the newest mobile-based nuclear missile systems RS-24 Yars with separating warheads.
MOSCOW, December 13 (RIA Novosti)
Russia is ready to share responsibility in creating a joint missile defense shield in Europe, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Monday.
"We have proposed to share responsibility and Russia is ready to act in some part and take on anti-missile defense responsibility," Serdyukov told Vesti 24 news television channel.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned in his state of the nation address on November 30 that if talks on the missile defense failed within a decade "a new round of arms race will start" and Russia will "have to adopt decisions on the deployment of new strategic weapons."
Medvedev also said that Russia was ready to participate in a joint missile defense shield in Europe "on principles of equality and responsibility." Russia and NATO agreed at a recent NATO-Russia summit in Lisbon to formulate terms for missile defense cooperation by June 2011.
Igor Korotchenko, an official with the Russian Defense Ministry, said during the conference that NATO countries, particularly the USA, had been developing a new generation of hypersonic strike weapons and hypersonic missile weapons (Prompt Global Strike).
It will be highly complicated to intercept the new missiles with the use of contemporary anti-missile systems. The flight-in time of the new weapon in comparison with air-based cruise missiles is reduced to mere minutes, which makes it impossible for the attacked side to take defense measures.
The Americans say that the hypersonic arms will be built to destroy terrorists, first and foremost. However, according to the documents of NATO's AGARD group, the hypersonic missiles will be developed to strike enemy's reinforced objects, ABM and AD systems, to obtain supremacy in the air, to effectively intercept ballistic missiles and destroy hypersonic assault weapons.
The appearance of such weapons in the United States will minimize the advantages of Russia's missile and nuclear shield. Military experts said during the discussion that Russia would not be able to defend its missile complexes - the basis of the national nuclear containment forces - in case of such an attack.
On May 13th, the next day after the USA tested Minotaur IV, former commander of the Russian Air Force Anatoly Korkunov and former head of procurement Anatoly Sitnov stated that the Russian air and space defense forces were incapable of guaranteeing security to the country.
What can Russia oppose to the new challenge from the United States?
Alexander Mordovin, an expert at the council for external and defense politics stated that the creation of new missiles would pose a serious problem for Russia.
"Conventional cruise missiles could be destroyed by fighter jets, but in this case it would be very problematic. Fourth and fifth-generation fighter jets can fly at low altitudes not faster than 1,300 km/h. The hypersonic weapons will be made to fly at low altitudes, which makes it very hard to destroy them in the air. Russia wrapped up its space defense program during Gorbachev's and Yeltsin's times, including the combat lasers project. However, those lasers would be very helpful in fighting Minotaur-type missiles. One can hope for the development of the new S-500 complex. For the time being, one may say that Russia will remain vulnerable to possible attacks with the use of hypersonic weapons for a long time in the future," the expert said.
Russia on Monday warned US lawmakers debating a landmark nuclear arms control treaty that any changes would kill the accord, which faced a critical US Senate test vote on the uncertain path to approval.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned US senators that START "completely meets the national interests of both Russia and the United States" and "cannot be reopened, becoming the subject of new negotiations."
As the crisis on the Korean peninsula continues unabated, Russia has accused the United States and South Korea of provoking the recent flare-up of tension. On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the South Korean and US Ambassadors to express “extreme concern” over a planned live-firing drill near a disputed maritime border with North Korea.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin “strongly urged” the envoys “to refrain from conducting the planned firing in order to avoid further escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula.” He reminded the envoys that a similar artillery firing on November 23 had “provoked an exchange of fire... that caused casualties.”
The statement is in line with the view of Russian experts on Korea who believe that the US is provoking tension on the Korean Peninsula to continue to threaten Russia and China.
“Keeping up tension on the peninsula is the only way for the US to justify the more than half-a-century-long presence of American forces in Japan and South Korea that is directed against Russia and especially China,” said Dr Alexander Zhebin, head of the Centre for Korean Studies at the Russian Institute of the Far East.
The scholar said that had it not been for the North Korean “threat,” the US would be hard put to explain the need for deploying missile defences in East Asia, which is proceeding much faster than in Europe and targets Russia and China rather than North Korea.
Russia knows what the hell is going on.
Russia is expecting a reply from NATO to its proposals on building a European missile defense system, and will have to deploy a nuclear missile grouping if no agreement is reached, President Dmitry Medvedev said Monday.
"Our partners should realize that we need this not to play games together with NATO but for Russia to be properly defended. This is my duty as president..." he said at a meeting with Russia's envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin.
"We expect a direct and unambiguous answer from our NATO partners - where they see Russia's place [in the system of the European missile defense]," Medvedev said.
"Either we agree on certain principles with NATO and create a joint system to resolve missile defense tasks, or we do not agree, and then we will have to make a number of unpleasant decisions in the future regarding the deployment of a strike nuclear missile grouping," Medvedev said.
France wants closer defense industry cooperation with Germany, Defense Minister Alain Juppe said this week, in what could culminate in a deal similar to the one Paris struck with Britain last year.
"I hope, finally, to re-raise the question of a strengthening of our industrial cooperation with Germany," Defensenews.com quoted Juppe as saying Tuesday in the traditional New Year's wishes to the military services.
Nordic nations on Friday invited the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to join a body that aims to smooth cooperation among the region's armed forces, the Estonian military said.
President Barack Obama vowed Saturday to pursue the deployment of US missile defense systems and rejected Russia's claim that doing so would justify withdrawing from a new nuclear arms control treaty.
"Regardless of Russia's actions in this regard, as long as I am president, and as long as the Congress provides the necessary funding, the United States will continue to develop and deploy effective missile defenses to protect the United States, our deployed forces, and our allies and partners," he said.
Russia sees the planned U.S. missile defense system as a potential threat to its nuclear forces and may review its participation in a landmark nuclear arms treaty, officials said Monday.
The treaty doesn't prevent the U.S. from building new missile defense systems, but Russia has warned that it reserves the right to withdraw from the treaty if the United States significantly boosts its missile shield.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reaffirmed Monday that a buildup in the U.S. missile defense capability would prompt Moscow re-consider its obligations under the New START treaty.
"If the U.S. increases the qualitative and quantitative potential of its missile defense ... a question will arise whether Russia should further abide by the treaty or would have to take other measures to respond to the situation, including military-technical measures," Ryabkov said, according to Russian news agencies.
Ryabkov warned Monday that Russia won't cooperate with NATO on the project unless it's treated as a full partner.
"This must be a joint system with shared responsibilities, information exchange and decision-making in order to make us an equal and responsible member," he said. "If two separate networks are built, things won't change for us and we will see a situation when the NATO system could potentially be used against Russia's security interests. Cooperating on such a system would mean hurting ourselves."
Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Monday the U.S. missile defense could only be aimed against Russian missiles. "This system could undermine Russian nuclear deterrent forces," he said.
Russia has deployed short-range nuclear warheads in its Kaliningrad territory which borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania, Lithuanian Defence Minister Rasa Jukneviciene claimed Tuesday.
"We want major nations to start negotiations on reducing the number of such weapons. It's no secret that such weapons are deployed near us, in Kaliningrad. And to our east as well," Jukneviciene told Lithuanian public radio.
Rumours have repeatedly surfaced of the presence of such arms in Kaliningrad, a Russian territory sandwiched between the Baltic Sea, Poland and Lithuania.
"I have taken into consideration that Ukraine is interested in such cooperation," Rasmussen said then after talks with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko.