THE TELEGRAPH: Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has told his Polish counterpart that Moscow regards a US anti-missile shield, which Poland has agreed to host, as a direct threat to Russian forces.
Speaking after meeting with Poland's foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, in Warsaw, Mr Lavrov, on his first visit to a Western capital since August's Georgian-Russian conflict, said: "Russia cannot fail to see the risks emerging as a result of US strategic forces coming closer to our borders."
Both Poland and the United States insist that the shield poses no threat to Russia, and is intended to protect the West from rouge [sic] states in the Middle East.
But although Mr Lavrov dismissed these claims, arguing the American system targeted Russia, he added that he was open to further discussion on the subject, and tried to ease his country's strained relations with Warsaw by saying that Poland itself posed no threat to his country.
His conciliatory words, which were matched by those of Mr Sikorski, came as marked change of tack from Russia, who has previously threatened to target nuclear weapons at its former Central-European vassal state as a response to Poland agreeing to host American interceptor missiles.
Mr Lavrov's stance and visit to Warsaw, which was in doubt following harsh Polish criticism of Russia's intervention in Georgia, have been interpreted as Moscow attempting to rebuild its war-damaged relations with Europe. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Warns Poland over US Anti-missile Shield >>> By Matthew Day in Warsaw | September 11, 2008
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (UK) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (UK) >>>
