The United States is ready to provide Moscow with written assurance that the NATO-backed Euro missile defense shield is not directed against Russia, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Tauscher said on Tuesday.
“The missile defense system we are establishing in Europe is not directed against Russia. We have said that publicly and privately, at many levels,” Tauscher said. “We are prepared to put it in writing.”
But Tauscher said Washington could neither provide a legally binding commitment nor “agree to limitations on missile defenses, which must necessarily keep pace with the evolution of the threat.”
She also said that the mission of missile defense in Europe is “to counter launches from the Middle East, which would be few in number and at an early stage of technology.”
Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate on the so-called European missile defense system at the Lisbon summit in November 2010. NATO insists there should be two independent systems that exchange information, while Russia favors a joint system with full-scale interoperability.