State Department calls on Russia not to defend Kaliningrad

John Kirby, Spokesperson for the US Department of State, has claimed that the US called on Russia not to deploy the Iskanders and S-400 complexes in the Kaliningrad region. According to him, it threatens European security. Nonetheless, Kirby admitted that Russia has right to deploy nuclear forces in its own territory. The State Department's spokesperson said that Russia has been promising to deploy the Iskanders in the Kaliningrad region for as long as 20 years. Each time it was a response to various situations in Europe. Kirby believes none of them demanded such reaction. John Kirby also called on Russia to refrain from acts which do not correspond to stability and security in the Euro-Atlantic region while speaking at a briefing on behalf of the States.

As Pravda.Ru reported, before that Viktor Ozerov, Chairman of the Committee on Defence and Security of the Russian Federation Council, was talking about deployment of the complexes. It was a response to deployment of the US missile defence in Europe. That is why Russia had to engage additional forces and means to cover corresponding facilities and command posts.

It should be added that the Iskander mobile tactical missile complex can have a nuclear warhead. While the S-400 Triumf air defence complex is a kind of defencive weapon.

Pravda.Ru