Russian Military Ups The Ante On Missile Defense

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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=151949853

Russian Military Ups The Ante On Missile Defense

by The Associated Press

MOSCOW May 3, 2012, 01:36 pm ET

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's top military officer has threatened to carry out a

pre-emptive strike on U.S.-led NATO missile defense facilities in Eastern Europe

if Washington goes ahead with its controversial plan to build a missile shield.

President Dmitry Medvedev said last year that Russia will retaliate militarily

if it does not reach an agreement with the United States and NATO on the missile

defense system.

Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov went even further Thursday. " A decision

to use destructive force pre-emptively will be taken if the situation worsens, "

he said at an international conference attended by senior U.S. and NATO

officials.

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov also warned on Thursday that talks

between Moscow and Washington on the topic are " close to a dead end. "