The Pentagon Chief Robert Gates arrived at Moscow with 2-day visit and met with his counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov. The US defence secretary attempted to reassure Russia over the US's missile defence plans in eastern Europe. He has brought initiatives, aimed to involve Russia in the US’s plans to build a missile defense system in Poland and in the Czech Republic. "We invite Russia to join our defensive endeavor as a partner." - he said.
Gates said, the main focus of his trip was to continue developing responses to the challenges posed by weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile proliferation.
But it seems that he hasn’t achieved the main aim of his visit. After negotiations Serdyukov said that the position of Russia “remains unchangeable”. “It is a strong destabilizing factor that may have a great impact upon global and regional security” - the commander of Russia's Air Force said.
Serdyukov said, that it is necessary to proceed with the agreement that would restrict the strategic offensive arming, as the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty expires on December 5, 2009. At the same time he confirmed the intense to go on the team-work with the US taking into account the present political situation and new relations between countries.
He also impressed an anxiety of the US’s plans to use in case of necessity intercontinental ballistic missiles with non-nuclear warheads against the so-called outcast countries (Iran and South Korea), as trajectory of the missiles would lie too close to Russian frontiers.
Robert Gates is worried with another threat. As expected he invited Russia to be a partner. “We could potentially work together,” he said, “to experiment with new concepts and technologies, conduct research and development on missile defense systems and components, to share early warning data, to promote stability and to improve the capabilities of our forces to conduct successful, cooperative missile defense operations during peacekeeping or other joint military operation.”
“Moreover, the ever-increasing pace of technological innovation, combined with the proliferation of mass destruction and delivery systems, means the threats we face now may be much more ominous in 10 to 20 years.”
“The days of the cold war are over. No one should seek a return to them," Mr. Gates said. "We invited Russia to join our defensive endeavour as a partner."
“When both the United States and Russia work together, both countries and others win. The inverse is just as true: When we fail to work together, both countries may lose.”
The Minister of Defence of the RF said that Moscow was unsatisfied that terms of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe are permanently violated , so that the treaty became more and more frail.
The ministers were divided in opinion about the main point of their meeting. Serdyukov confirmed that the Russia’s position remained unchangeable, but Gates stressed that the US’s plans for missile defense was not aimed at Russia or any particular country, but only at potential aggressors in the Middle East and South-West Asia.
Later Robert Gates met with Vladimir Putin; for the first time they met during the famous conference in Munich. But according to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak this negotiations were also fruitless. Now it is up to Defence experts to research the problem through, their investigations may make the problem clear.
During his visit in Moscow Gates is to meet also with the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov and with the Security Council of the Russian Federation Igor Ivanov.
It is probably to be reminded that the United States wants to site ten interceptor missiles in Poland and radar equipment in the Czech Republic. These plans met a sharp rejection from the Russia’s side. Now Washington is trying to reassure Russia that this system is designed for defense only from Iran and North Korea and will not undermine Russia’s national security.
Defence experts say there is little doubt that the real target of the shield is Russia. "The geography of the deployment doesn't give any doubt the main targets are Russian and Chinese nuclear forces," General Vladimir Belous, Russia's leading expert on anti-ballistic weaponry, told the Guardian. "The US bases represent a real threat to our strategic nuclear forces."
Last week NATO supported the US plans, but Pentagon failed to reassure Russia. The Kremlin still considers that the system is dangerous and “disrupts the world strategic ballance”.
In an interview with the Guardian, the Kremlin's chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said, that Moscow felt betrayed by the Pentagon's move. "We were extremely concerned and disappointed. We were never informed in advance about these plans. It brings tremendous change to the strategic balance in Europe, and to the world's strategic stability."
He added: "We feel ourselves deceived. Potentially we will have to create alternatives to this but with low cost and higher efficiency." Any response would be within "existing technologies", he said. “As well as military counter-measures, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, also wanted "dialogue" and "negotiations", he added.
He must have meant space control radar systems that Russia supposes to install on the territory of its embassies in several countries.
Commander of Russia's Space Forces Colonel General Vladimir Popovkin said in an interview with the Space Technology News magazine that the placement of advanced quantum-optical radars at the embassies would allow Russia "to spot launches otherwise undetectable from Russian territory" and adjust the trajectories of missile "killer-vehicles" in case of a potential threat.
