U.S. President Bush(L) meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm June 6, 2007. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, June 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S.
President George W. Bush said Wednesday that no military response is necessary
to Russia's threats to re-target Europe if Washington continues with its defense
missile plan in Eastern Europe.
"Russia is not an enemy," Bush told reporters before
the summit of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations in the northern
German resort of Heiligendamm.
"There needs to be no military response because we're
not at war with Russia. Russia is not a threat. Nor is the missile defense we're
proposing a threat to Russia," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently
threatened to take "retaliatory steps," including looking for new targets for
nuclear weapons in Europe, if the United States continues with its plan to build
a missile defense system in Eastern Europe.
The United States plans to place a radar system in
the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in neighboring Poland in the name
of defending against possible attacks from Iran.
Russia has accused Washington of raising a new arms
race in the region, which Washington denies.
Putin has yet to arrive in Germany for the three-day
G8 summit which is expected to focus on climate change, Africa development and
the Doha Round talks of the World Trade Organization.
The G8 club groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
PRAGUE, June 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush
called Tuesday for cooperation from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on
the deployment of a planned U.S. missile defense shield in the Czech Republic
and Poland.
Bush made the speech at a press conference after
talks with Czech President Vaclav Klaus and Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek in
Prague Castle.
"The Cold War has ended and Russia is not the United
States' enemy," said the U.S. president. Full story
MOSCOW, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir
Putin warned that Russia would take retaliatory measures against the deployment
of a U.S. missile defense system in Central Europe, the Itar-Tass news agency
reported on Monday.
"In case of the deployment of anti-missile defense
systems in Europe we warn that there will be retaliatory steps. We have to
ensure our security. And this process was not initiated by us," Putin said in an
interview published on Monday focusing on the Group of Eight (G8) summit
scheduled for later this week in Germany. Full story
WASHINGTON, June 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W.
Bush defended on Friday U.S. plan to deploy a missile defense shield in East
Europe while trying to soothe Russia's concern over the disputed missile defense
program.
"It's aimed at rogue regimes that would use a missile
to achieve political objective or to create unrest," Bush said of the U.S. plan
in an interview with foreign press. Full story
Print
