Russia warns of pre-emptive strikes against possible missile shield

"A decision to use destructive force pre-emptively will be taken if the situation worsens," affirmed General Nikolai Makarov on Thursday at a conference in Moscow.

The two-day conference, which is being attended by US and Nato officials, focuses on the long-debated missile defence system, prior to a Nato summit in Chicago this month.

Poland originally signed an agreement with America to install the system in August 2008 at the tail-end of President George W. Bush's administration, but Barack Obama appeared to put the brakes on the project.

In September 2011, the US signed a further agreement with Romania about the installation of a missile defence shield.

Both Washington and Warsaw have always argued that the proposed missile system is a defensive measure against “rogue states” such as Iran.

In March this year, Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski reiterated Warsaw's willingness to host parts of the system during his annual foreign policy announcement in parliament.

“We stand ready to implement the Poland-U.S. agreement on the missile defence base,” he said, “even though we are aware of the fact that U.S. plans may be subject to modification, for example, if an agreement is reached on Iran’s nuclear programme.”

Meanwhile, Russia has proposed once again that if the system really is a protective measure against Iran, then Moscow could co-run the missile defence system with Nato.

According to Russia's Security Council secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, this “could strengthen the security of every single country on the continent.”

Nevertheless, Russia has already commissioned a radar system in Kaliningrad, near the Polish border, in anticipation of the proposed missile shield. (nh)