Romania agrees to host US missile interceptors

Russia and the US hit the "reset button" last March, though it was soon apparent that warm smiles and handshakes might not be enough to bring the two nations together.

State-owned Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported Friday that the interceptor missiles could pose a threat to Russia.

“This weaponry, without a doubt, could significantly reduce Russia's deterrent capability," said Col. (Ret.) Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine.

He said SM-3 missiles would be able to intercept Russian ballistic missiles shortly after launch and on their initial flight trajectory.

"Russia must warn Romania that if the elements of the U.S. missile shield are placed in the country they will become a target of Russia's preventive missile strikes," Korotchenko said.

But The New York Times reports that Romania’s move is unlikely to cause a large rift with Moscow because the location of the interceptor missiles is less threatening.

Dmitri V. Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, said the Romanian announcement would not come as a complete surprise to Russian leaders, since it “was one of the options people had in mind.” He said the Romanian site was farther from the Russian border, and – unlike the proposed Polish site – would not allow the interceptor missiles to stop a Russian missile headed to the United States over the Arctic Ocean, a possibility that had aroused anxiety in Moscow.

“Of course, people who would be interested in portraying any kind of missile system as potentially a threat will be able to use this, but I don’t think the government has much interest in playing this up,” Mr. Trenin said.

Al Jazeera offers this video broadcast of the plan:

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