Russia Reaffirms Commitment to Deploy Missiles

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last Friday reiterated his threat to deploy missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania, if the United States goes ahead with its missile defense shield in Europe. The tough talk came just days after President Barack Obama attempted to hit the “reset button” in U.S.-Russian relations on his visit to Moscow.

In 2008, two Eastern European nations, Poland and the Czech Republic, signed preliminary agreements with President George Bush to allow the U.S. to install missile silos and radar bases on their soil. The new equipment would be a part of the nato structure.

Russia responded strongly, insisting it would install missiles in Kaliningrad. Medvedev has not changed Russia’s stance.

“If we cannot agree on this question (missile defense) then you know the consequences,” he told reporters after the G-8 summit in Italy.

Eager to appease Russia and establish friendlier terms, the U.S. president may be changing America’s stance. On his trip to Moscow last week, President Obama avoided any strong rhetoric on the missile defense plans and instead told the Russians that he has launched a review of the plans. Obama also demonstrated weak support for Ukraine and Georgia’s desire to join nato.

It looks like President Obama is blinking first in this stare down over Eastern Europe.

Europe takes nuclear threats seriously. During the Cold War, the risk of a nuclear strike from the Soviet Union spurred Western Europe to cooperate on an advanced level, even creating the nato alliance with the U.S. Now that the Soviet Union no longer exists, Eastern Europe is also looking west for protection from the still formidable and aggressive Russia. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe—including Poland and the Czech Republic—has joined the European Union.

This is exactly why Russia is so against the missile shield. Russia is trying to restore its former influence in Eastern Europe as a buffer against the West. Yet the EU’s borders have slowly expanded toward Moscow. This is a more threatening prospect for Moscow than the 10 missile interceptors the U.S. plans to deploy in Poland, which Russia can easily overwhelm.

Russia is hoping to prevent further such expansion with its aggressive behavior. But while such tactics may cause the U.S. to back off, they will only embolden the EU and result in a stronger, more centralized European superstate capable of standing up to Russia. To read more on how the struggle for influence in Eastern Europe will play out, read “Russia’s Attack Signals Dangerous New Era.”