Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


        Russia, Belarus to Develop Joint Response to NATO Missile Shield

   by VOA News

   The foreign ministers of Russia and Belarus say their governments will
   jointly develop a military response to the European deployments of a
   U.S.-designed missile shield that Moscow sees as a threat to global
   security.

   Sergei Lavrov and his Belarusian counterpart, Uladzimer Makey,
   announced the decision to cooperate in countering the U.S. shield on
   Monday in Minsk. Neither official offered details.

   Their meeting comes just days after NATO activated an $800 million
   missile defense site in southern Romania -- a key component in a system
   that NATO and U.S. officials say is designed to counter ballistic
   missile threats from Iran. Further shield deployments in Poland are
   expected to be completed by 2020.

   On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin scoffed at Western claims
   that the missile system is designed to fend off threats from Tehran. He
   cited the recent nuclear deal between Western powers and Iran to
   bolster his claim that the threat from Iran no longer exists, and that
   the West's real goal is to contain Russia's strategic deterrence
   capabilities.

   U.S. officials have repeatedly rejected Moscow's claims, with State
   Department official Frank Rose saying last week that "nothing could be
   further from the truth."
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-belarus-joint-response-nato-mi
   ssile-shield/3333430.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-belarus-joint-response-nato-missile-shield/3333430.html