MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Wednesday that opening one was part of an attempt to contain Russia by moving American military infrastructure closer to its borders.
The US base in Redzikowo is part of a broader anti-missile shield by the Western military alliance North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), called “Aegis Ashore”, which the alliance says is capable of intercepting short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin opposed plans for the base as early as the 2000s, when George W. Bush was US president.
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He said Putin had insisted at the time that the United States was lying when it said the aim was to intercept possible Iranian missiles.
“This is confirmation that President Putin was right. These plans continue to be implemented. This is the advancement of American military infrastructure on European territory towards our borders,” said Peskov.
“This is nothing more than an attempt to contain our military potential and, of course, this leads to the adoption of appropriate measures to ensure parity.”
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Peskov did not say what steps Russia might take in response.
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