Russia held out an olive branch to President Barack Obama today by suspending plans to deploy missiles in Europe, according to a report in Moscow.
An official from Russia's General Staff in Moscow told Interfax news that the move had been made because the new United States leadership was reconsidering plans to establish a missile defence shield in eastern Europe.
Deployment of Iskander short-range missiles, which can carry nuclear warheads, was being suspended in Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad in response, the unidentified official said.
The news emerged ahead of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's appearance later today at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Mr Putin said on Monday that he was "cautiously optimistic" about the potential for improved relations with the US because the Obama Administration had shown a willingness to reconsider the missile shield.
The former Bush administration ignored Russian objections to its plan to install 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic.
It said that the shield was to counter threats from rogue states such as Iran and was not directed against Moscow. The US signed agreements with the Czech and Polish governments last year to permit deployment of the shield.
Russia insisted, however, that the system posed a threat to its own security and repeatedly warned that it would take counter measures unless the US backed down.
Ah yes, by not protecting ourselves from rogue states such as Iran. I guess when you are passive, this would make sense in some ****ed up sort of way. :roll:Great news, who knew the way to stop Russia was so simple?
Great news, who knew the way to stop Russia was so simple?
:lol: at you buying Russia's propaganda and thinking they are "stopped"...... :lol:
Great news, who knew the way to stop Russia was so simple?
I'm sure the people in eastern Europe are relieved they will no longer have missiles next door for the only purpose of targeting their US radar and interceptors.
Do you think this is why they stopped, or do you think it has to do with oil going from 150 to 30 a barrel and they cant afford it anymore? :lol:
Yeah that's probably a big factor. Putin's struggling to not look like a fool as the Russian economy fails. If it doesn't get better in a short period of time I fully expect Russia to start talking hard with someone else, maybe even BO.
Or start another war (Ukraine?) to distract the people from the real problems in the country.
That is what the right wing usually does in times of crisis :roll:
When you see a stupid comment like that and it really leaps out at you due to its puerile nature? That my friend is what we call a PeteEUism.:shock:What does the "right wing" have to do with the actions of Russian dictators?
That is what the right wing usually does in times of crisis :roll:
For a start nobody is sure Iran can make a nuclear bomb. Besides that Iran has no solid ICBM program capable of hitting the US yet. They've fired into space once but they still have resounding issues.
Besides that - this is a good thing. The less tension the better.
Great news, who knew the way to stop Russia was so simple?
Russian Defense Ministry officials are denying Russian news reports of a suspension of plans to deploy missiles in the country's Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.
The officials called the reports "premature. " They said Russia has not taken any practical steps to deploy the short-range Iskander missiles and therefore one can not speak of a suspension.
shiznit770 said:I'm sure the people in eastern Europe are relieved they will no longer have missiles next door for the only purpose of targeting their US radar and interceptors.
When you see a stupid comment like that and it really leaps out at you due to its puerile nature? That my friend is what we call a PeteEUism.:shock:
I'm not surprised by this development. When a nation indicates a willingness to accommodate another's critical interests, the result can be positive.
Given Russia's insecurity that has been nurtured by its tragic history, Russia was unwilling to accept assurances that the NATO missile defense system was not aimed against it. As far as Russia's policymakers were concerned, the present system posed no threat to Russia's nuclear arsenal, but might have done so in the future. Then, technological advances could change the system's capabilities. Therefore, Russia had committed itself to opposing a system that it felt was not justified by current threats and that it believed could pose an eventual danger to its own national security.
As a way out, it offered a compromise whereby the system's radar could be constructed in Azerbaijan. That compromise could still offer a basis for negotiations. Ultimately, the two parties will need to accommodate one another's critical interests if there is to be an agreement. President Obama took a big step in that direction in suggesting that the U.S. could reconsider the system in its current arrangement. Russia reciprocated.
That's a good start for taking the U.S.-Russia relationship off a colision course. Much work, some of which will be difficult, remains to be done to narrow the differences that were permitted to grow in recent years.
Oh I’ve agreed with comments of your before too, in fact I’ve thanked you several times too. As often as we post here, it was bound to happen sooner or later.:2razz:Wow, you and I have agreed on something. :shock:
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