June 12, 2007 :: Spacewar.com :: News
On June 12, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to retarget nuclear missiles at Europe was credible if the U.S. proceeded to base Ground Based Interceptors in Poland and an X-band radar facility in the Czech Republic. Russia has opposed the plan, which it claims blunts its strategic nuclear deterrent. The U.S. has stressed the system is meant to protect the U.S. and Europe from a possible missile attack from the Middle East. Recently, however, Putin offered a surprise compromise proposal at the G-8 summit in Germany which would involve stationing the interceptors in Turkey or Iraq and utilize an existing radar base in Azerbaijan with the Russians.
While NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer welcomed the proposal, he doubted the Azeri radar's ability to meet U.S. requirements. Commenting upon the Russian threat, Yushchenko said, "It's becoming more and more apparent that the best response to all the challenges regarding defense and security policy can only be given through a collective system of defense...And a key aspect is to provide Ukraine's accession to the European Union and the North Atlantic bloc." He criticized Russia's meddling in Ukraine's domestic affairs and reiterated "It is (we) who determine our domestic and foreign policies." (Article)
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