http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140523/190076131/Moscow-to-Respond-if-US-Speeds-Up-European-Missile-Defense-.html
RIA Novosti May 23, 2014 West’s Refusal of Dialogue May Lead to Ukraine’s Membership in NATO – Putin ST. PETERSBURG: Russia fears that the West’s refusal to engage in dialogue on Ukraine may lead to Kiev joining NATO and the US deploying missile defense systems in the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday. "The coup [in Ukraine] has occurred, and they do not want to talk to us. What should we think of? The next step will be Ukraine's membership in the NATO. They never ask us about that, and they do not engage in dialog with us, as we could see for the last two decades. 'No dialog,' they say, 'it is none of your business, and it does not concern you'," Putin said. "Ukraine may become a member of the NATO tomorrow, and the next day Defense Missile elements of the United States may be deployed there," the Russian president said during remarks at the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which is hosting official delegations from 62 countries and CEOs of 146 major world companies. The European Union, US and NATO representatives refused to attend the event. Russian NATO envoy Alexander Grushko said Monday that Moscow had insisted on an immediate meeting of the NATO-Russia Council due to a sharp deterioration of the situation in crisis-hit Ukraine. The alliance suggested holding a meeting of ambassadors on May 27 but Moscow asked to postpone the summit. On April 1, NATO ended all practical cooperation with Russia over Ukraine, only maintaining contacts at the ambassadors' level and higher. The foreign ministers of NATO members are to review relations with Moscow at their next meeting in June. Putin earlier accused Western countries of supporting the unconstitutional coup in Ukraine at a time when Moscow was calling for searching for a way out of the crisis in the country through dialog. The statement came at a time of strained Russia-EU relations, after the EU, together with the US, imposed sanctions on Russian officials for allegedly escalating the Ukrainian crisis. Ukraine went through a regime change resembling a military coup on February 22, after months of clashes between the Russian-oriented authorities and supporters of Ukraine’s affiliation with Europe. The country’s parliament ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, changed the constitution and scheduled early presidential elections for May 25. Since March, when the former Ukrainian Crimean peninsula rejoined Russia, anti-government protests have been spreading across the mainly Russian-speaking southeastern regions of the Ukraine. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions proclaimed autonomy earlier this month. Ukraine’s new interim authorities, backed by radical ultranationalist groups, launched a special operation to crack down on the protesters in mid-April, which has already led to dozens of deaths and injuries. =================================================================== http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140523/190076131/Moscow-to-Respond-if-US-Speeds-Up-European-Missile-Defense-.html RIA Novosti May 23, 2014 Moscow to Respond if US Speeds Up European Missile Defense – Foreign Ministry MOSCOW: Moscow hopes Washington understands that Russia will be forced to react if the US speeds up the placement of missile defense systems in Europe, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Friday. “If there is really another look at the European Phased Adaptive Approach to the creation of a missile defense system speeding up to the phase where it’s time to place metal to the cement, then we will regret that because we cannot respond indifferently to attempts that negatively influence the national potential of Russian strategic nuclear restraint,” Ryabkov said. Late last month, the U.S. Navy deployed for the first an advanced version of a missile-interceptor for its Aegis missile defense system, initiating the second phase of Washington’s plan to boost missile defenses in Europe. The US missile defense system in Europe, which NATO and the US say is aimed at countering threats from North Korea and Iran, has been a particular source of friction in US-Russian relations for a number of years. Russia and NATO formally agreed to cooperate on the system at the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon, but talks foundered, in part over Russian demands for legal guarantees that the system would not target its strategic nuclear deterrent.
