Moscow capable of responding to US missile defence plans

Russia will have to upgrade its own strategic nuclear forces so they will be able to penetrate the US missile shield. This came in a statement by the Deputy Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin as he addressed foreign diplomats and security experts at the Russian Embassy in London on Monday morning.

He pointed out that Russia has already resolved the issue of penetrating the US missile defence system.

According to Rogozin, Russia will not need a great number of missiles to attain the objective, but will use new technical solutions that make it possible to change movement physics and avoid interception systems.

Russia, US: full missile defence integration 'unrealistic' 

Russia believes its integration with the US in the field of missile defence should be limited to information exchange, through centers established in Brussels and Moscow.

Strategic Missile Force Commander General Viktor Yesin spoke about this in Moscow Monday a day after news agencies reported a similar pronouncement by NATO’s deputy head Alexander Vershbow. He said each side should stick to a ‘red button’ of its own.

Voice of Russia,  TASS

White House missile defence initiatives compounded by Magnitsky affair 

Alexei Lyakhov, Svetlana Kalmykova

President Putin hopes to hold a separate meeting with Barack Obama on the sidelines of the next summit of the G8 in Northern Ireland. He is also renewing his invitation for the US President to visit Moscow.

The Russian leader spoke about this to Thomas Donilon in Moscow Monday after the White House national security advisor arrived in the Russian capital on a mission which should also include talks with senior Russian defence, intelligence and security officials including head of the National Security Council Nikolai Patrushev.

The visit came just two days after Washington exchanged blacklists of officials who are now denied entry to and access to their assets in each other’s country.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke about this to the media on Sunday:

Global security and global stability are hinged on the relationship between the United States and Russia. Unfortunately, Washington’s ‘Magnitsky List‘ has compromised both by souring this relationship. It amounts to flagrant interference in Russia’s internal affairs. It’s up to Russia to sort out the circumstances of the prison death of Russian lawyer Sergey Magnitsky".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov raised the issue after talking with Thomas Donilon in Moscow Monday:

"Tom Donilon has joined Secretary of State John Kerry, with whom I talked in London a few days ago, in acknowledging the fact that the Magnitsky affair and the misfortunes of Russian orphans adopted by US couples are serious irritants in Russian-American relations and have to be brought to exhaustive solutions. All right. We now expect the Americans to match their words with appropriate action".

Mr Donilon delivered a message to President Putin in which President Barack Obama set out new initiatives concerning strategic arsenals and missile defence. The Kremlin described these initiatives as constructive and deserving to be looked into.

Voice of Russia