Russia halts missile plan in 'olive branch' to Obama

[Leo The Cleo]

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/russia-halts-missile-plan-in-olive-branch-to-obama-1618640.html



Russia added to the aura of goodwill surrounding Barack Obama's presidency yesterday by declaring that it had abandoned plans to point cruise missiles at Europe from its enclave of Kaliningrad.

"The implementation of plans has been halted in connection with the fact that the new US administration is not rushing through plans to deploy ," an official of the Russian military's general staff was quoted as saying.

The breakthrough follows signs from the Obama administration that it is edging away from George Bush's controversial proposal to site key bases for its anti-missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. The shift in tone emerged during last week's Senate confirmation hearing for the US Deputy Defence Secretary, William Lynn. Mr Lynn deliberately backed away from the Bush administration's plan to build a missile defence shield at the Polish air force base near the village of Redzikowo.

A Kremlin source played down the significance of the announcement, saying "it was always stated clearly that this would only be a response to the American missile defence system". Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, shied away from his usual bellicose tone. "Militarisation does not help solve problems," he said. "We are against spending more money on military efforts."

Russia's defence budget ballooned during Mr Putin's reign as president but his current government is reeling from the global credit crisis and has to tighten its belt.

Helpful

Nato described the news about the Kaliningrad missiles as helpful. "The earlier Russian announcement that they were going to deploy missiles . . . and point them at NATO allies was unwelcome," spokesman James Appathurai said. "If that decision has now been rescinded, it is a good step."

Nato wants to focus on winning the war against the Taliban and al-Qa'ida in Afghanistan, and Mr Obama's team may also wish to thaw the Bush freeze so that it can embrace Russia as a strategic partner.

Despite a lingering chill over Moscow's military adventures in Georgia last summer, the US has asked Russia to allow Nato military supplies bound for Afghanistan to cross its territory, as supply convoys passing through Pakistan have come under increasing attack.

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's President, chose the morning of Mr Obama's election victory in November to announce the deployment of missiles to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Baltic coast between Poland and Lithuania which had been all but destroyed during the second World War.

Mr Medvedev's apparent change of heart came two days after he spoke to Mr Obama for the first time. Sources said the missile defence issue was not raised on Monday but the pair did discuss how bilateral relations could be improved.

"The presidents agreed that, as they were both new leaders from a post-Cold War generation, they have a unique opportunity to establish a fundamentally different kind of relationship between the two countries," the White House said. © Independent News Service

[Cha]

1. Thanks Russia!

The military complex and the US corporatemedia isn't happy but who cares?

[LittleBlue]

2. Thank you, PM Putin.

Putin will be remembered as one of the great Russian leaders of modern times.