Obama's visit to Moscow does not cancel USA's missile defense plans

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley rejected Friday (July 11) the connection between the deployment of the elements of the missile defense system in Europe and the signing of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, Interfax reports.

Photo: Obama's visit to Moscow does not cancel USA's missile defense plans

“We do not think the two are linked. And as you know, we continue to review our defensive posture, particularly as it pertains to Europe. We have continued to talk to Russia to reassure Russia that our prospective plans in Europe are aimed at the burgeoning Iranian capability; they’re not directed at Russia. But obviously, the negotiation – now that we’ve had the summit, the negotiation will continue and working hopefully towards an agreement before the end of the year,” Crowley said.

Many Polish newspapers wrote that the United States decided not to deploy the elements of its missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic after Obama’s visit to Moscow. Poland’s Nasz Dziennik wrote that the US administration was considering two other locations – near Iran or in the south of Europe.

The US administration has not released an official statement to say that it was going to cancel its missile defense plans in Eastern Europe. Official spokespeople for Poland’s Foreign Affairs Ministry also rejected the information about the USA’s decision not to build any army bases in the country.

“I do not know where this information comes from. If there were such a decision, the US would make an announcement,” an official of Poland’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

The Polish press has predicted before that the USA would not be building missile bases. It was particularly said that America would not have the money for it, and that Obama would simply turn the project down. However, Obama did not scrap up the missile defense program.