Wed 13 November 2024:

The Kremlin said on Wednesday the opening of a new U.S. missile base in Poland was part of an attempt to contain Russia by moving American military infrastructure closer to its borders.

The U.S. base at Redzikowo is part of a broader NATO missile shield dubbed “Aegis Ashore”, which the alliance says is capable of intercepting short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had objected to plans for the base as far back as the 2000s, when George W. Bush was U.S. president.

He said Putin had insisted at the time the United States was lying when it said the purpose was to intercept potential Iranian missiles.

“This is confirmation that President Putin was right. These plans continue to be implemented. This is the advancement of American military infrastructure on European territory towards our borders,” Peskov said.

“This is nothing other than an attempt to contain our military potential and, of course, this leads to the adoption of appropriate measures to ensure parity.”

Peskov did not say what measures Russia might take in response.

Dubbed ‘Aegis Ashore’, the U.S. base at Redzikowo is part of a broader NATO missile shield which the alliance says is capable of intercepting short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

Other key elements of the shield include a second Aegis Ashore site in Romania, along with U.S. navy destroyers based in the Spanish port of Rota and an early-warning radar in the Turkish town of Kurecik.

Russian and Belarussian officials said they were watching the NATO base carefully and would factor it into their military planning.

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Trump presidency looms over NATO

Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who has stressed his warm ties with Trump, is set to attend the base opening ceremony. On Monday, he told reporters that Trump had called him with greetings for Polish independence day.

Trump’s past criticism has unnerved some NATO members, as he has vowed that under his leadership the United States would not defend countries which do not spend enough on defence.

However, Poland says the fact it is the alliance’s biggest spender on defence relative to the size of its economy means it should have nothing to fear.

-Reuters

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