[The Russian reaction is interesting. It is a massive OVERREACTION to a mere 10 missile interceptors. It does not in any way change the strategic position of the Russians having tens of thousands of nuclear missiles pointed at the USA.

I don’t know why the Russians are overreacting like this.

They seem to want the West to always live in the shadow of their thermonuclear weapons while saying nothing. They do not like anything that irritates their primary weapons – their strategic nuclear missiles. Jan]

VIENNA (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday consultations with Washington had failed to change Russia’s opposition to U.S. plans for a missile defense shield in eastern Europe

“As a result of those contacts we had with our American partners, there have been no changes in our position and there cannot be any as we have not heard anything new,” Putin told a news conference on a visit to Austria.

“We believe it is an absolutely harmful thing,” Putin said, indicating he had been unmoved by a flurry of U.S. diplomatic moves to win Moscow round.

Russia views the U.S. plan to base 10 missile interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic from 2012 as a major threat to its national security.

Washington says the system is needed to defend Europe and U.S. forces there against what it calls “rogue states” such as Iran and North Korea.

Russian politicians say the U.S. plan could disrupt European stability and fuel a new Cold War-style arms race.

Moscow’s top brass say the missile shield does not pose any immediate military threat for Russia, but warn that Russia will have to develop new anti-missile technology to counter it.

Missile defense is at the top of a list of issues, including the Iraq war and competition for allies in the former Soviet Union, that are straining ties between Moscow and Washington.

In Vienna, Putin said the missile shield was “not born out of necessity or the real situation, either in Europe or the world.”

“What is happening in Europe that is so negative that we need to fill eastern Europe with new forms of weapons?” he said. “What has happened that has worsened the situation in Europe and demands such actions? Nothing.”

U.S. officials have staged a round of diplomatic contacts to try to soften Russian opposition to the project.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Moscow for talks, briefing Russian officials on the plans and offering broad cooperation with Russia in strategic missile defense.

But Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters in Moscow that Russia has no intention of cooperating with the United States on its plans for the shield.

“We are not going to cooperate against ourselves,” Ivanov, who has overall charge of Russia’s defense sector, told a news conference.

“As to the strategic part of the missile defense shield, the talk about cooperation is just discussions to calm public opinion in Europe,” Ivanov said.

Ivanov said Russia was not satisfied with U.S. arguments that the system would defend against a possible attack from Iran or North Korea.

“We do not like the explanation (given by the United States for the system) or as they say in some circles — the legend,” Ivanov said.

“From the point of the view of trajectory and ballistics, the explanation of Iran or North Korea cannot be accepted on the serious, expert level,” he said.

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/i…/p>