WASHINGTON. Oct 19 (Interfax) - The United States can give written assurances to Russia that a missile defense system being deployed in Europe will not be targeted against it, but this will not be a legally-binding commitment, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Tauscher said.
The missile defense system the U.S. is building in Europe is not targeted against Russia, which the U.S. has said both publicly and in private negotiations at different levels and can express this in writing, Tauscher said at a seminar at the Atlantic Council dealing with the U.S. missile defense system on Tuesday.
The U.S. and Russia could become partners capable of deterring threats emanating from outside Europe, not from each other, Tauscher said.
While Russia can receive assurances that the nascent missile defense system will be targeted against missiles launched from beyond Europe rather than from Russia, the U.S. cannot provide legally-binding commitments or limitations on the missile shield, which could be developed proportionally to the evolution of the existing missile threats, she said.
This missile shield does not have the technical capability for undermining the Russian nuclear forces, and the U.S. is not seeking to build such a system, she said.
Washington welcomes the opportunity to expand exchange of technical information with Russian experts at the inter-agency level so as to demonstrate the missile shield's potential, she said.
The U.S. sees a lot of opportunities for expanding missile defense cooperation with Russia, Tauscher said.