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Ukraine interested in NATO missile shield
Journal Staff Report

KIEV, Feb. 24 – Ukraine on Thursday expressed its interest in helping NATO to build its missile defense shield, but also suggested that a contribution from Russia was important.

The project was discussed during a visit by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to Kiev for talks with Ukrainian officials over a range of issues, including missile defense.

"This morning, Ukraine's Foreign Minister and I discussed our cooperation in building the missile defense system,” Rasmussen said after the talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko. “I have taken into consideration that Ukraine is interested in such cooperation."

Ukraine, once the biggest producer of intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, for the former Soviet Union, holds significant expertise in missile technology.

Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk-based space and missile complex, Pivdenne/PivdenMash, which produces Zenit space launch vehicles, is a partner of Boeing of the U.S. and Energiya of Russia in commercial satellite launch project, known as Sea Launch.

Anatoliy Hrytsenko, the chairman of the national security committee in Parliament and a former Defense Minister, said it was important for Ukraine to integrate into the pan-European missile defense system.

“This would boost our technologies and create jobs,” Hrytsenko said. “We have a more valid basis for direct cooperation [on missile defense] than most of the four dozen NATO members.”

But Hrytsenko stressed Russia should also play a role.
“Of course, this can only happen if Russia is a participant,” he said.

Rasmussen said the issue will probably be discussed at a separate meeting of experts to see exactly how could Ukraine contribute to the NATO missile defense shield.

Russia has been invited to discussions on the missile defense system for Europe as well, Rasmussen said, adding the shield would be aimed to prevent attacks by rogue states.

The Kremlin has repeatedly insisted that a missile shield can be only built if Russia participates, and has fiercely criticized the NATO plan to develop its own missile defenses.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, for example, said recently that NATO’s own missile defense shield would be a direct threat to Russia.

A number of top Russian politicians have said that NATO should scrap its plan and, instead, set up a joint NATO-Russia missile shield which would be able to fire only if both sides agreed to it.

But Rasmussen has rejected such an idea, though NATO leaders have talked about sharing information with Russia. (nr/ez)




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