By Washington Free Beacon Staff
The New York Times reports:
A senior Russian general threatened on Wednesday pre-emptive attacks on missile-defense sites in Poland and elsewhere in Eastern Europe in the event of a crisis, underscoring the Kremlin’s opposition to the Obama administration’s plans and further undermining relations between the countries.
While Russian officials have said previously that the antimissile sites could become targets in the event of war, the threat of a pre-emptive attack was new.
The remarks from the general, Nikolai Makarov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, coming just days before Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin is set to assume the presidency again, might signal a move to a more muscular foreign policy than that pursued by the departing president, Dmitri A. Medvedev.
General Makarov was speaking at a conference in Moscow on antiballistic missile policy, hosted by the Russian Ministry of Defense. In his speech, one of many spelling out opposition to the plan, he went on to specify the type of Russian short-range missiles that might target locations in Eastern Europe.
"Taking into account a missile-defense system’s destabilizing nature, that is, the creation of an illusion that a disarming strike can be launched with impunity, a decision on pre-emptive use of the attack weapons available will be made when the situation worsens," General Makarov said at a conference in Moscow.
Alexander Vershbow, NATO’s deputy secretary general, said NATO would continue to seek cooperation with Moscow and work to resolve "differences in perception regarding the capability of the NATO shield."
President Obama was recently recorded pleading with Russian figurehead Dmitri Medvedev to "give me space" on issues like missile defense. "This is my last election," he said. "After my election I have more flexibility."
Medvedev promised to "transmit [the] information" to ascendant Russian dictator and noted bear wrangler Vladimir Putin.