Putin Says Missile Defense Systems Threathen Strategic Balance

MOSCOW, December 12 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that plans by foreign powers to develop high-precision weapons for use with missile defense systems will threaten agreements that have ensured the global strategic balance.

Speaking in his annual State of the Nation address, Putin said that Russia was aware that the US-planned missile defense system in Eastern Europe was defensive only in name and described it as having strategically offensive potential.

“The increase by foreign countries of their strategic, high-precision non-nuclear systems potential and boosting missile defense possibilities could ruin earlier reached agreements in the sphere of nuclear arms control and reduction and lead the disruption of the so-called strategic balance,” he said.

“No one should have illusions over a possibility of taking military advantage over Russia,” Putin said. “We will never allow this.”