Pavel Felgenhauer warns of a new arm race

The US's announcement of plans to station part of its missile defence shield in Poland and the Czech Republic has provoked threats from Russia. Talking to Michal Kacewicz, Moscow-based military expert Pavel Felgenhauer warns of a new arms race and criticises the policies of the Russian government: "The US's next step will be to station missiles in Central Europe. The US also has its Tomahawk missiles, while Russia has nothing comparable. For Russia, which has never been particularly successful in this kind of trial of strength, treaties have always been advantageous. But those currently in power at the Kremlin don't understand this. Another point is that Putin, in his game of intimidation, is planning to strengthen the position of the military shortly before the elections. It is the Russian generals' greatest desire to withdraw from all the disarmament treaties that were signed in the 1980s and 1990s when the Soviet Union and later Russia were weak and which they perceive as humiliating."

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