"The stationary radar systems of the US missile and nuclear warning system cover all possible trajectories of Russian ballistic missiles in the direction of the United States," Lt. Gen. Viktor Poznikhir, first deputy chief of the General Staff's Main Operational Department, said Tuesday at a joint Russian-Chinese briefing on missile defense.
The global missile defense system being created by the United States poses a strategic threat to both Russia and China, he noted.
He also emphasized that Washington’s actions serve only to stimulate a new arms race and that Moscow has to respond with adequate countermeasures. "But this will not make the world safer," Poznikhir concluded.
Speaking to Radio Sputnik, retired Colonel Andrei Golovatyuk, a military observer and senior member of the Russian Officers Union, said that there is every reason to suppose that the US missile shield deployed to Europe may be directed against Russia.
"If we take a look back, the story began when the Americans imposed their missile defenses in Romania and Poland, citing the Iranian threat. But even after the Iranian nuclear issue had been resolved, the deployment did not stop. A Tomahawk missile launched from Romania can reach Moscow within an hour. Of course, Russia has concerns about the real target of those missiles," Golovatyuk said.
According to him, by continuing the deployment of its missile shield, Washington is playing a very dangerous game.
"The Russian military, including the Aerospace Forces and the Air-Defense Forces, permanently keeps an eye on the situation. Our American partners should understand that they are walking on the razor’s edge and this balance may break at any moment. Nuclear missiles are no joke," the expert pointed out.
The US has been involved building a global missile shield for over a decade. Moscow has repeatedly said that it undermines the basic principles of global strategic stability. Recently, US President Donald Trump’s administration confirmed its intention to further develop the plan. According to Washington, the missile defense is directed against the two main threats, Iran and North Korea.
