MOSCOW. Oct 18 (Interfax) - Moscow wants the United States to provide not only legal guarantees that the missile shield is not targeted against Russia, but also the exact parameters this system may possess.
"We are talking not only about the legal guarantees which must be documented in an international agreement, but we also
proposed that this agreement list the criteria of this system not being targeted against Russia - the number of interceptor missiles, their location, and their speed and range," Russia's NATO Ambassador Dmitry Rogozin said on NTV television.
"All this must guarantee that the missile defense system in Europe will not weaken the Russian strategic potential. Moreover, the guarantees must be provided not only by the United States, but by NATO as a whole," he said.
"NATO, within the framework its joint responsibility, must say something to Russia, too," he added.
Rogozin also said that Russia should not make any concessions, "but stay absolutely firm and stubborn, if it is convinced of its right cause."
"If the guarantees cannot be provided during President Barack Obama's tenure, they will be given under another administration. We must stick firmly to our position. This is the most important thing," Rogozin said.