Russia to target cities with nuclear missiles again

ROME (Thomson Financial) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has again blasted a planned US missile shield in Europe and warned that Moscow could redeploy missiles aimed at targets on the continent.

'If the US nuclear potential extends across the European territory, we will have to get new targets in Europe,' Putin said in an interview to newspapers from the Group of Eight most industrialised nations.

The interview was due to be published on Monday but the embargo was partially broken by Germany's Der Spiegel magazine. Putin and his peers are meeting for a three-day G8 summit which begins in Germany on Wednesday.

'It will then be up to our military experts to identify which targets will be aimed by ballistic missiles and which ones will be aimed by cruise missiles,' he said.

'We want to re-balance the defence instruments with more efficient offensive equipment but we know that this could lead to a renewed arms race for which we are, however, not responsible.'

Tensions over the plan have helped send relations between the two states to what many analysts call a post-Cold War low just before Putin and US President George W. Bush meet at the Group of Eight summit.

Russia sees the US plan to deploy missile defence hardware in Poland and the Czech Republic, as a threat and dismisses as feeble Washington's insistence that it is aimed at pre-empting possible attacks from the Middle East, especially Iran.

'We cannot allow ourselves not to be worried,' Putin said.

'The missile shield is part of a nuclear system which protects American territory and for the first time in history, elements of this system have been transferred to Europe,' the Russian leader said.

'We are told that this defence system serves against Iranian missiles but no Iranian missile has such a capability. It therefore becomes evident that this concerns us, the Russians.'

 

Don't you miss the good old days when people killed people with guns?

 

Thanks Mr. Bush for making the world a safer place. The results of your so-called diplomacy speaks volumes.

 

Ha, both excellent points, although you've dripped sarcasm all over my keyboard.

 

I just cant imagine why they would feel threatened if the Missile Defense System doesnt work.

Unless they know something the MDS critics dont...?

 

I was discussing this with my father last night, and he gave a good point.

Aiming this missiles? Its not a bottle rocket you point in a direction. Its just putting in co-oridinates and letting one fly. When haven't anyones missiles not been aimed at anyone else? It takes a matter of seconds surely?

And do you think the US and Russia tell the public everything about this? Russia probably still has weapons in Europe.

This seems like Putin fearmongering, but in reality, its just a bit of extra tension.

 

You must not be old enough to remember the cold war. These "threats" by putin amount to no more than a somewhat grouchy "good morning" when put in the context of the rehetoric of the cold war. His threat to aim missiles at someone is empty. Any missile that he has that is operational is already aimed at someone.

 

Having been born the year before Stalin died, I remember the Cold War vividly. I was in South Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis as the streets and skies here looked like a reenactment out of WWII or the t.v. series Combat.

The shield that Bush is offering could be construed as a threat and is nothing more than a boondoggle for missile contractors. It's another waste of our taxpayer money. But Bush being from an international financing family could give a rat's patooey about our economic health. Put it on their charge card!

 

Russia appears to disagree with you. If the Missile Defense System is so worthless, why is Russia throwing such a hissy fit over it? More importantly, why are they going out of their way to adapt their missiles to counter it?

Obviously, THEY believe it works.

More than that, what exactly is he going to do? Does anyone here really think Russia is going to commit suicide over this issue?

Yes, he is targeting his missiles. And that is all he will ever do. Regardless of whatever else happens, the fact remains that MAD will hold him in check, even if NMD does not.

The only way Putin will ever launch a strike is if we invade or attack Russia, and everyone knows that will never happen. Therefore his threat is empty.

Russia's pouting is an acceptable exchange for a defense against missile attack.

 

Then you are not adept at putting information you get today into historical context. Is everything, every new bump in the road a whole new experience to you as if you never hit a bump in the road before?

Is that what you believe? Don't you think that putin has human assets in positions that could give him reasonably accurate information on the progress of our missile shield technology? If it was a boondogle do you believe he would be worried? It was Reagan's go ahead with SDI that delivered the final blow to the old soviet's economy and led to its breakup. He knew it was fesable then and he knows that it is nearly reality now.

 

Seeing how I always felt the Cold War was a concoction in order to fuel a "military/industrial complex" which became a self-deception on the part of our leaders, I see no need to waste revenue we do not even have on some boogyman. Since you haven't learned from history, it is not surprising to see your acceptance into buying into this bogus need to pursue this venture.

Reagan was not a visionary and even the CIA had written papers in the later part of the 1970s stating that the Soviet economy was on the verge of collapse. The so-called Reagan military buildup, before his VP's eventual massive volume of military base closure's once IT became President, was also a waste.

 

You don't remember kruschev banging his shoe on his desk at the UN promising to bury us?

 

He was saying that the working class will destroy capitalism. He was not wise in diplomacy and rather bombastic. That is why he was removed from office within four years.

 

No. He was saying that he would bury us. And his predecesors didn't change the rhetoric much. Sorry the soviet didn't work out for you but apologizing for them is right up there with apologizing for islam. They killed 30 million of thier own and would have done the same for us if they thought for a minute that they could have won.

 

Andrew Jackson and General Winfield Scott had their share of blood on their hands as well as the Bush1/Clinton/Bush2 Iraq saga. Stalin was a monster, no doubt. But that didn't mean all of their successive leaders were (anymore than what's usual for leaders). But for you to say I'm apologising is the height of childish reasoning. We were talking about what Kruschev said and I stated that the Cold War was more ballyhoo, propaganda and was keading towards it was a way for some people to get rich off of the military when that money could have been better spent or saved.