Russia warns US against missile bases in E. Europe

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Poland and the Czech Republic risk being targeted by Russian missiles if they agree to host elements of the proposed US missile defense system, a top Russian general warned Monday in the latest in a series of increasingly bellicose statements from Moscow. President Vladimir Putin has said he does not trust US claims that it wants to deploy missile defense components in Europe to counter threats from Iran, and warned that Russia could take retaliatory action. Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, head of Russia's missile forces, said the US move would upset strategic stability. "If the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic take such a step ... the Strategic Missile Forces will be capable of targeting these facilities if a relevant decision is made," he said.