MOSCOW, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia had the right to deploy its missiles anywhere within its territory, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday, in a response to Western concerns over its deployment of state-of-the-art missiles near NATO's eastern borders.
"Recently a big fuss started that we've planted our (tactical missiles) Iskanders in a wrong place," he told a meeting with students in a Moscow institute.
"We may plant them wherever we want on the Russian territory," the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.
Russia said Monday that it has deployed its tactical Iskander-M missiles along the borders with NATO countries, and insisted that the deployment did not violate international treaties.
On the same day, the United States voiced its concerns to Russia over the missile deployment in its western Kaliningrad region and urged Moscow not to undertake "destabilizing steps."
Shoigu said Moscow was not going to sit idly watching on the U. S. deployment of the anti-missile defense shield in Europe.
"Our scientists, designers and plants work very efficiently. Russian weapons are powerful, mobile and efficient. We've got ( something) to respond," the minister said.
In 2014, Russia would complete deployment of its troops in the western and eastern Arctic archipelagoes "to secure the entire belt," he said.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- The United States has voiced its concerns to Russia over missile deployment near its western region and urged Russia not to take destabilizing steps, a State Department spokesperson said Monday.
"We've shared with Russia the concerns the countries in the neighborhood have ... regarding Russia's deployment of the Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad. We've urged Moscow to take no steps to destabilize the region," State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said at a press conference. Full story
MOSCOW, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Russia confirmed Monday that it has deployed its tactical Iskander-M missiles along the borders with NATO countries, insisting the deployment did not violate international treaties.
"The deployment of Iskander missile battalions on the territory of the Western Military District does not violate any respective international agreements," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted the defense ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying. Full story
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