Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday vowed a ‘reasonable and adequate’ response to the US missile shield in Europe, viewed by Moscow as a mortal threat to the country's nuclear deterrent.
"We will have to make some decisions, and I will announce them soon. There is no doubt that our actions are reasonable, adequate and not closing the road in order to continue the discussion of the situation surrounding the European Missile Defence System with our partners in the North Atlantic (Treaty Organisation)," Medvedev was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.
The US has refused to provide legally binding guaranties not to target Russia's strategic nuclear assets, which are the core of the Cold War era doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) based on nuclear parity.
Talking to top military commanders of the Southern Military District in volatile Caucasus, Medvedev underscored that missile defence system and the way it is offered by the American side can significantly change the system of parity, which may create certain problems for Russia.
Washington has been trying to convince Moscow that the system poses no threat to Russia and is needed to protect against missiles that could be fired from countries with smaller arsenals such as Iran. After his recent meeting in Honolulu with President Barack Obama, on the sidelines of APEC summit, Medvedev had announced his intention to state Moscow elaborated stance on the issue.
The two presidents ordered the negotiators back to the table to continue negotiations until NATO makes its decision on the missile defence architecture. A final decision is expected to be announced at the NATO Chicago summit in May 2012.