Suspicious minds
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on April 26 that he would suspend Russia's obligations under the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. Putin said the move comes as a result of US plans to base a missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Putin said the NATO signatories to the 1990 treaty were not respecting it, and that Washington's plans for the missile defense systems made matters worse. He added that Russia would consider withdrawing from the treaty altogether if negotiations he proposed with NATO countries did not resolve Russia's grievances.
Washington says it wants to establish the shield as part of its defenses against Iran and North Korea. However, Russia claims the bases pose a threat to its national security. "In this connection, I consider it expedient to declare a moratorium on Russia's implementation of this treaty - in any case, until all countries of the world have ratified and started to strictly implement it," Putin said.
Earlier in the week, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered Russia an unprecedented level of cooperation in missile-defense activities. "The days of the Cold War are over and no one should seek a return to them," said Gates, adding that he was willing to explore sharing missile-defense technology with Russia.
However, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov was cool about his talks with Gates. "The Russian position on this issue remains unchanged," he said.
In a meeting later the same week, Gates agreed with the Polish Minister of Defense Aleksander Szczygło that the shield should increase Poland's security as well as that of the United States. However, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Witold Waszczykowski said, "For the time being, the US has not offered us anything apart from the location of elements of an anti-missile shield on our territory." In return for hosting the missile shield, Warsaw feels its status as a key US ally would rise and would expect additional security guarantees. However, the Americans have so far not agreed to proposals of stationing a Patriot missile launcher in Poland. (Reuters)
