Ukraine opens the door to foreign missile defence
by Our Foreign Desk
THE Ukrainian government is willing to host foreign anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems, defence chief and ex-president Oleksandr Turchynov said yesterday.
Kyiv ally the US is building an extensive ABM system across Europe, but has not publicly spoken of siting missiles in Ukraine on Russia’s borders.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that the deployment of a missile-defence system in Ukraine would force Moscow to adopt countermeasures.
The Kremlin views such a system as offensive rather than defensive, potentially giving the US the capability to launch a nuclear first-strike without risk of retaliation.
Mr Turchynov claimed that Moscow planned to deploy nuclear weapons in Crimea, which voted for reunification with Russia last year following the far-right-backed coup in Kyiv.
“That the annexation of Crimea has significantly increased Russia’s military capabilities and changed its balance of military power in the Black Sea and Mediterranean is understood by all our partners,” Mr Turchynov said.
“But nobody goes beyond issuing statements and expressing deep concern.”
“Ten Iskander-M tactical missile systems have already been delivered to the (Crimean) peninsula near the village of Shcholkine and Krasnoperekopsk,” Mr Turchynov claimed.
Russian Defence Ministry officials have previously said that they would deploy Tu-22M3 bombers to Crimea.
Mr Turchynov also said the West should block Russian warships from passing through the Bosphorus Strait — the gateway from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.