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And we're going to stay with Russia now to talk about an issue that's raising hackles in Moscow and Washington, missile defense. President Dmitry Medvedev says Moscow might have to take disagreeable measures if the U.S. proceeds with missile defense deployments in Europe. Those measures might include reassessing Russia's commitment to nuclear arms control.
As NPR's Mike Shuster reports, that blunt talk brought a sharp rebuke from the U.S.
MIKE SHUSTER, BYLINE: The most unadorned and undiplomatic responses came from the U.S. ambassador to NATO, Ivo Daalder. A few days ago, Daalder said the U.S. will carry out its plan to protect U.S. allies in Europe from Iran's potential missile threat, whether Russia likes it or not. That after President Medvedev appeared on Russian television recently to announce that Moscow might deploy its own missiles near the borders of NATO countries and aim them at U.S. missile defense installations.
And he added Russia is proceeding with the deployment of a new radar system to track U.S. missiles. For years now, U.S. leaders have been telling the Russians the missile defense plan in Europe is not against them, but Medvedev has not been convinced.
PRESIDENT DMITRY MEDVEDEV: (Russian spoken)
SHUSTER: These pronouncements unfortunately don't guarantee the protection of our interests, Medvedev said. So when we are told this isn't against us, I say, our radar station is also not against you. Some in the U.S. saw a possible political motive behind Medvedev's remarks, given yesterday's parliamentary elections. Daryl Kimball, director of the Arms Control Association in Washington is among them.
DARYL KIMBALL: His comments were timed to help bolster his party's standing with the Russian electorate that likes to see its leaders stand up to the West.
SHUSTER: At the same time, many analysts say Medvedev's remarks went beyond short-term political considerations.
JOE CIRINCIONE: Some of them, granted, are for political consumption during an election period. But part of it represents the real anxieties of the Russian military.
SHUSTER: Joe Cirincione, director of the Ploughshares Fund, believes the U.S. has to take more seriously the concerns coming from Russia on this issue.
CIRINCIONE: Russia is definitely trying to get our attention. They keep saying one thing after another, if you don't solve this problem, we're not going to have another round of arms control talks, or we might close the NATO supply routes to Afghanistan. We might withdraw from the treaty.
SHUSTER: That's the New START treaty which was ratified last year and which mandates a reduction in both U.S. and Russian offensive nuclear weapons to 1,500 on each side. The actual missile interceptors that the U.S. intends to deploy in Europe are years away and in such small numbers that they could never neutralize Russia's current offensive nuclear weapons.
But that could change over time, says Daryl Kimball. As arms control agreements force a smaller and smaller Russian offensive nuclear arsenal, the missile defense system could expand and become more formidable.
KIMBALL: In theory, future versions of these missile interceptors could have greater capability against long-range ballistic missiles, including some in Russia. And they are going to be potentially deployed in larger numbers.
SHUSTER: So this disagreement is real and it goes deep, says Joe Cirincione.
CIRINCIONE: We are sending mixed messages to Russia. Our diplomats say there's nothing to worry about. This is all directed against Iran. But our military officials are rushing ahead with plans to build systems that, from a Russian point-of-view, look like they're aimed at Russia.
SHUSTER: So, missile defense has once again landed high on the diplomatic agenda between the U.S. and Russia. The goal, though, Kimball says, is to find some sort of agreement that will prevent a defensive-offensive missile competition from breaking out.
KIMBALL: I don't think that this is the beginning of a new arms race. There is time and an opportunity to turn missile defense from an issue of confrontation into one of cooperation.
SHUSTER: This week, missile defense will be discussed at a NATO/Russia foreign ministers meeting in Brussels followed up by additional talks in Washington next week.
Mike Shuster, NPR News.
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