Russia would cooperate with NATO only on a joint European missile defense network project, but will not be part of a U.S. missile defense in Europe, Russia's envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday.
Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate on the so called Euro 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.
"The key issue is whether it will be a [joint] European missile defense network or a NATO missile shield in Europe, because the former is a system that would include Russia, and the latter is a separate scheme, involving a U.S. missile shield in NATO disguise," Rogozin said.
"The third and the fourth phases of the proposed U.S. missile shield in Europe bear a potential threat to Russia," he added.
These phases envision the deployment of land-based interceptor missiles in Romania and Poland.
"The future European missile defense network should not create additional threats to any European nation and should not build new walls between Russia and the West," Rogozin said.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has recently appointed Rogozin chief missile defense negotiator with NATO.
BRUSSELS, March 3 (RIA Novosti)
