Moscow reiterated its warning on Tuesday that it would have to take “retaliatory measures” if the United States and NATO continue to ignore its position on a missile defense system in Europe.
“We are ready to continue the missile defense dialogue with the United States and NATO,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Serbian newspaper Vecernje Novosti.
“However, if our partners continue to ignore our position, we will have to ensure our own security interests using other methods.”
“Forced retaliatory military-technical measures may be needed,” Lavrov said.
Moscow has been irked by U.S. plans to deploy missile defense elements in Europe.
Russia proposed a joint missile defense system, an idea that many experts both at home and abroad dismiss as unviable and unrealistic.
Then it demanded “legally binding guarantees” that U.S./NATO missiles would not be targeted at Russia.
Since Moscow’s proposal received a lukewarm response in the West, it has been warning of unspecified low-cost “asymmetric measures” to counter the future Western missile defense system.