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US might be able to intercept RF missiles if Russia does not upgrade its forces-diplomat

Russia sees no point in putting forth new initiatives in talks with the United States on problems of missile defence

MOSCOW, January 26 (Itar-Tass) —— If Russia takes no effort to modernize its strategic forces, the United States might be able to intercept our missiles by 2020, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Thursday.

When asked what is a threat a U.S. missile defence system might pose to Russia, he said, “The threat is that within the span of several years, if the U.S. plans are implemented, we will have by the year 2020 a system that will be able to intercept Russian strategic forces unless we upgrade them so that they would be able to get through this system.”

Russia sees no point in putting forth new initiatives in talks with the United States on problems of missile defence, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said.

“There was a moment when we were close, so to say, to an intermediate common understanding of the core of the problem and of what issues are to be settled first,” he told the Ekho Moskvy radio station. “But later, regrettably, the U.S. side decided not to pass a relevant document.”

“As a result, the position of our partners has grown stiff,” he noted. “In these conditions we see no point in making any steps that might be taken as Russia’s unilateral concessions.”