Russia has stated that they are planning to “neutralize” any threat from the United States towards their nuclear deterrent. This is in response to the United States plans to place a missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland. Since the US has announced their plans for this missile shield, Russia has been wary of US motives. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said that Russia would have to neutralize any threats to Russia’s nuclear deterrent system. When looking back on the history between the United States and Russia, it is easy to understand why the Russians might be opposed to a US missile shield so close to their border. For Decades the US and Russia engaged in a cold war which ended with the United States victory. It is inevitable that the Russians would still hold some sentiments of fear when dealing with the United States.
The Foreign Minister did not however state what the plans were to neutralize the threat to their deterrent ability. In my mind the only action that they would utilize is aggressive diplomacy. Anything more than that would be an overreaction since the US is only placing a defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland. If the US were trying to build a naval or army base on those sites, I would expect Russia to respond in a more aggressive manner. However my opinion remains that the Russians will not do anything drastic because this missile shield does not necessitate drastic measures.
