Russia has expressed its anger at the U.S.-Poland missile defense deal which was announced yesterday:
Russia reacted angrily, saying that the move would worsen relations with the United States that have already been strained severely in the week since Russian troops entered separatist enclaves in Georgia, a close American ally. At a news conference on Friday, a senior Russian defense official, Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, suggested that Poland was making itself a target by agreeing to host the anti-missile system. Such an action "cannot go unpunished," he said.
It seems likely that Russia's invasion of Georgia helped negotiations along. It was only a few days before the invasion that Poland's Prime Minister warned that the U.S. presidential election was leading to protracted negotiation. He said Warsaw was in no hurry to conclude a deal, and looked forward to negotiations resuming at the end of August. Now suddenly, all remaining roadblocks have gone by the wayside.
It will be interesting to see whether the legislatures of Poland and the Czech Republic approve the missile placement. Russia cut off oil to the Czech Republic and threatened a response by "military-technical methods" if the Czechs ratify the agreement with the U.S. to host the missile defense radar system. Reuel Marc Gerecht recently reported that the radar deal has barely enough votes to win approval in the Czech parliament right now. Will the attack on Georgia affect the vote?
