Moscow's blackmail games over missiles

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev has threatened to station missiles near its borders with Nato if the US goes ahead with its plans for establishing a missile defence system in Europe. This announcement demonstrates together with the reports on Iran's progress in attaining nuclear weapons what a perfidious game Russia is playing with Europe, the liberal daily Sme writes: "Tehran has never been interested enough in gestures to do so much as slow down its nuclear programme for their sake. The diminishing pressure from the US and Washington's hesitant stance on the missile defence shield have given Iran a head start. ... Russia's protests against the shield were never anything but blackmail, as is its and China's support for Tehran. Russia is killing two birds with one stone: The West has more worries and the more untouchable Iran becomes for the democratic world, the more it depends on Russia. Even if Russia's and Iran's interests differ in many respects - vis-á-vis the West their cooperation works very smoothly."

» more information (external link, Slovak)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Russia, » U.S., » Iran
All available articles from » Peter Morvay

» To the complete press review of Thursday, November 24, 2011