Russian Officials Chastise Czechs Over US Missile Shield
The Czech Republic has been asked by Russian officials to hold off on a decision to host part of a United States missile defense shield system. Yuri Baluyevsky, the Russian military chief of staff, told Czech officials that it would be better to wait on a decision until after the next US presidential elections, saying, “It will be a big mistake by the Czech government to put this radar site on Czech territory.”
Russia sees the system as a security threat while the Americans maintain it will help control the increasing threat of terrorist attacks. It is also the latest in the move towards embracing NATO by many former Warsaw Pact countries. It is easy to see how the increased military presence by the West makes Russia officials nervous. The Russians insist that the Czech move is more about politics than military might and find it very disappointing that they continue to agree to the construction of the radar systems in the Czech Republic.
Czech officials say they have not made an official decision yet, but had no other statements on the matter. The comments were made on the 39th anniversary of the “Prague Spring” invasion.
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