Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday reaffirmed his opposition to US plans to deploy an extensive missile defense system in Europe, saying the network would “erode” the world’s balance of power, RIA Novosti reports.
He said at a meeting with Russia’s defense minister that the country should upgrade its weaponry to maintain parity with “leading nations actively modernizing their arsenals,” RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia would pursue deployment of Iskander nuclear missiles in the country’s western-most region, Kaliningrad, a move threatened in the past as a reaction to the US missile plans.
Putin also noted that the impending withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan would create a “region of instability” in Central Asia, “directly affecting the interests and safety of the Russian Federation,” RIA Novosti reports.
