Putin warns of retaliation against US anti-missile plan

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Source: CCTV.com | 06-04-2007 09:17

Russian President Vladimir Putin presides a Security Council meeting in the Moscow Kremlin, Saturday, June 2, 2007.(AP Photo/ITAR-TASS,Presidential Press Service, Mikhail Klimentyev)

President Vladimir Putin warnsed Sunday that Russia will take "retaliatory measures" if the US goes ahead with plans to build a missile defense system in Europe.

Putin has criticized the White House plan to position radars in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in neighboring Poland. He says the system will be a threat to Russia.

Putin said neither Iran nor the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have the rockets that the system is intended to shoot down. Thus, suggesting that the missile defense shield would be used instead, against Russia. He was speaking just days before he heads to Germany for the annual summit with US President George W. Bush and other Group of Eight leaders,

Putin is concerned that the planned system will become an integral part of the US nuclear arsenal in Europe -- an unprecedented step.

He says he hopes US officials will change their minds regarding the missile plan. And he warns that Moscow is preparing a tit-for-tat response.

Putin said, "First of all, we want to be heard. We want to make our position understandable. We do not exclude that our American partners may reconsider this decision. We are not enforcing something on somebody. We are basing our arguments on common sense and think that common sense exists in all of us. If this does not happen then we will withdraw any responsibility for our retaliatory measures because it wasn't us who initiated a new round of arms race development in Europe".

Last week, Russia tested a new ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads and a new cruise missile.

Putin has described the test as part of Moscow's response to the US anti-missile plan. This, as relations between Moscow and Washington have soured in the past year.

Editor:Du Xiaodan