War of words over missile shield

War of words over missile shield
By Andrew Ward in Prague, Jean Eaglesham and Dan Dombey in London, and Neil Buckley in Moscow
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Published: June 4 2007 20:22 | Last updated: June 4 2007 20:22


European nations on Monday sharply criticised President Vladimir Putin for threatening to retarget Russian missiles at the continent amid an escalating dispute over US plans to locate part of its proposed missile defence system in central Europe.

The war of words came ahead of the G8 summit of industrialised nations, which starts on Wednesday in Heiligendamm, Germany, where Mr Putin will come face to face with US President George W. Bush and European leaders.

Britain warned Russia it had to decide whether it wanted a “constructive” relationship with Europe, while Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, promised “frank dialogue” with Mr Putin at the G8 summit.

Alan Beattie previews G8 as Putin raises the stakes
Mr Putin warned on Sunday that Moscow would take “retaliatory steps”, including the possible retargeting of Russian missiles against Europe, if Washington pushed ahead with plans to place radars and missile interceptors in the Czech Republic and Poland.

The White House, keen to avoid further deterioration in relations between Russia and the west, said it remained committed to “constructive dialogue” with Moscow. But Steve Hadley, US National Security adviser, said Mr Putin’s remarks were “not helpful”.

Mr Bush arrived in Prague on Monday night for talks about the missile defence system and will travel to Poland on Friday, following a bilateral meeting with Mr Putin in Heiligendamm on Thursday.

Alexandr Vondra, deputy prime minister of the Czech Republic, accused Mr Putin of attempting to “spread fear” through Europe but warned his tough language would harden opinion against Russia. Mr Putin did not have a “veto” over Czech national security, he said.

Nato, the trans-Atlantic defence alliance, condemned Mr Putin’s comments as “unwelcome”.

Washington insists the missile defence system is designed solely for use against states such as Iran that could develop nuclear weapons. But Moscow fears the technology could in future be targeted against the Russian missile arsenal.

In a barely coded warning about the escalating tensions between Europe and Russia, Downing Street said the UK wanted a “constructive relationship” with Moscow but “the nature of that relationship is as much up to Russia as it is to us.”

While Russian generals have previously made the same threat to retarget missiles at Europe, this was the first time that Mr Putin has endorsed such a move publicly.

Retargeting missiles is a largely symbolic step, since they can be reprogrammed with new targets in a matter of minutes.

Nevertheless, the reaction to Mr Putin’s declaration is viewed by many observers – principally in the US – as a test of European resolve in dealing with Russia.