Russia says US anti-missile defence system will spark new arms race
Defence ministry also says US patrols in Black Sea are a potential threat
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Russian Defence Ministry has said the US's deployment of an anti-missile system will spark a new arms race.
The ministry also warned the deployment is a threat to world security designed to contain Russia and China.
“The presence of the global ABM [anti-ballistic missile] system lowers the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, because it gives the US the illusion of impunity for using strategic offensive weapons from under the protection of the ABM ‘umbrella,’” Viktor Poznikhir told a disarmament conference in Genev, according to a translation by the state broadcaster RT.
“The ABM shield is a symbol of the build-up of rocket forces in the world and a trigger for a new arms race."
The US has deployed its THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile system in South Korea in response to North Korea's increasingly provocative ballistic missile tests.
It is designed to shoot down short, medium and intermediate range ballistic missiles.
The Russian defence ministry also said it regarded US naval patrols in the Black Sea as a potential threat to its safety, because it was unclear what kind of missiles the ships were carrying.
Russia, which illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014, has its own Black Sea Fleet based at Sevastopol.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments