Moscow warns US about missile deals

The Moscow Times reported that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday that the United States should not consider placing component of a missile shield in non-NATO countries. Raybkov said Russia was is concerned with what he said were contacts between the U.S. and non-NATO countries, even after president Obama announced last month that the U.S. was scrapping plans to place missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic.

US Missile Shield Talks, Non-NATO Members, and Russia

RIA Novosti reports that Russia has expressed concern about the United States' missile shield talks with non-NATO ally Ukraine.

As we noted in a previous post, some analysts merely viewed previous missile shield agreements with Poland and the Czech Republic as useful bogeymen for Russian policymakers (despite the minimal actual strategic threat). Although Ukraine is not included in NATO, is this merely a cosmetic difference? And if so, is this simple difference enough to give Moscow a new "useful whipping boy?"

If one can answer affirmatively to all of the above, any such US missile-shield talks may offer the Russians the excuse they need to avoid cooperating on UNSC Iran sanctions.