US-Poland missile deal unjustified

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov says any plans for the deployment of a US missile system in Poland would be ‘unjustified.’

Ryabkov said on Tuesday that despite Washington and Warsaw’s failure to heed Moscow’s concerns, Russia “will continue the dialogue on the subject‏,” DPA reported.

He also rejected US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s claims that the missile system is intended to counter an Iranian threat.

“Who are these missiles in Poland supposed to be protecting us from?” asked Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrey Nesterenko.

Russia has been critical of the US missile defense plan, arguing that the system would be a threat to its sovereignty and that it was meant to pacify its ballistic capability.

The remarks came after the US and Poland signed a deal in Warsaw, under which Washington will deploy SM-3 missiles in northern Poland.