Missile deal angers Russia

After months of wrangling, Poland and the US have signed a monumental agreement to station elements of a missile-defense shield on Polish soil. The move, purportedly designed to protect the US and its allies from "rogue states," has incensed Russia.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski signed the agreement last Wednesday, a day after the US, Poland and other NATO members pledged to help Georgia. In response, Moscow called the deal a threat to its security and accused Warsaw and Washington of quickly agreeing on the deal, which had been stalled for some time, because of the situation in Georgia.

"This is an agreement that will establish a missile defense site here in Poland that will help us to deal with the new threats of the 21st century, of long range missiles…from countries like Iran or North Korea," Rice said before the signing ceremony.

Both Rice and President Lech Kaczyński agreed that the partnership between the US and Poland was meant to deepen cooperation between the two countries and with NATO. The US has pledged to protect Poland as part of the deal, which will see 10 interceptor rockets stationed here.

"Missile defense is of course aimed at no one. It's in our defense that we do this," said Rice.

Kaczyński called August 20 a huge success for Poland. "I had a few strategic goals during my five-year term as President of Poland and one of them has been realized," he said.

The deal is likely to further strain Polish-Russian relations. Some Russian politicians and military figures have commented that Poland must be prepared for a possible attack on the site in the future, a veiled threat which the US has dismissed as "rhetoric." Russia's Foreign Ministry warned that Moscow's response to the missile base "will go beyond diplomacy," the AP reported.

The agreement now needs to be ratified by the Polish Parliament.

For more information about the missile defense, check out Inside the missile deal