Russia says U.S. anti-missile shield plans could affect talks on arms cuts pact | Top Russian news and analysis online | ‘RIA Novosti’ newswire: “Russia’s top military chief said Moscow looked ‘negatively’ at new U.S. missile defense plans in Eastern Europe that could affect talks on a new nuclear arms cuts treaty.
The statement comes after the Bulgarian and Romanian leaders said they were in talks with Washington on hosting elements of the U.S. missile shield in their countries.
‘Taking into account the present circumstances, this [the expansion of the U.S. anti-missile shield in Eastern Europe] has caused concern in the Russian government and Russian armed forces,’ General Nikolai Makarov, chief of Russia’s General Staff, said. ‘We look at this negatively.’
Russia and the United States are in talks to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START 1), the cornerstone of post-Cold War arms control, which expired on December 5 last year with a new deal. U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev have ordered a speedy completion of the deal.”