By IANS,
Moscow : Russia has warned against NATO anti-missile system buildup, stating it may force Moscow to take responsive measures, Xinhua reported.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that an unrestricted buildup of NATO’s missile defence system would force Russia to take responsive measures to protect its strategic containment potential.
“The US-European anti-missile system has been building in the parametres defined in Washington, which, as the Russian leadership repeatedly said, could create a threat to Russian strategic nuclear forces by the end of the decade,” said Lavrov while addressing students of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
He said the NATO and the US did not guarantee that the system would not be used against Russia.
“Military experts understand that non-restricted one-sided buildup of the missile defence capabilities would require the other side to compensate to protect its potential of strategic containment,” Lavrov said.
Moscow has long opposed the deployment of NATO missile defense facilities near its borders, saying these would be a security threat to the country and upset the strategic balance of force in Europe.