Russia has demanded an explanation from the United States regarding its plans to deploy missile defences in Romania and the Black Sea that are seen as a threat to Russia’s security.
Romanian President Traian Basescu announced on Thursday that the country’s top defence body had backed a U.S. plan to station missile interceptors in Romania by 2015 against “potential attacks with ballistic missiles or medium-range rockets”.
The U.S. State Department said the proposed deployment of SM-3 medium-range ballistic missile defences in Romania and the Black Sea was part of the revised U.S. missile shield plan approved by President Barack Obama in September. Mr. Obama cancelled his predecessor George W. Bush’s plans to site missile defences in Poland and the Czech Republic in favour of other locations in the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.
Washington insisted the missile interceptors in Romania would not target Russia but would counter an “emerging” missile threat from Iran.
However, Russia voiced concern. “We expect an exhaustive explanation from our American partners,” said Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He recalled that the Russian and U.S. Presidents had agreed to carry out a joint analysis of missile threats before taking steps to neutralise them.
Russian experts said it was a bad sign that the U.S. had decided to deploy missile defences in Romania without consulting Moscow.
“It is worrying that the U.S. continues to take decisions on missile defences without taking into account Russia’s views,” said Dr. Vladimir Yevseyev of the Moscow-based Institute of Global Economy and International Relations.
