Russia, Belarus agree to joint air defense
MOSCOW - Russia and Belarus will create a new military system to monitor and defend their airspace, the Kremlin said yesterday - strengthening cooperation between the two uneasy allies who are deeply suspicious of U.S. plans to put a missile- defense shield in Europe.
MOSCOW - Russia and Belarus will create a new military system to monitor and defend their airspace, the Kremlin said yesterday - strengthening cooperation between the two uneasy allies who are deeply suspicious of U.S. plans to put a missile- defense shield in Europe.
The deal reflects the former Soviet neighbors' mistrust of Western intentions. It also reflects their shared opposition to NATO's expansion into former Soviet turf and U.S. efforts to build missile-defense sites in Belarus' neighbor Poland and in the Czech Republic.
Russian President Dmitry A. Medvedev said he and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko had brokered a deal that "will significantly increase the defense capability of Russia and Belarus."
The joint system - to include five air force units and 10 air-defense missile units - will improve the two countries' ability to monitor their airspace, Russian media quoted Gen. Alexander Zelin, the air force chief, as saying.
But it is unclear whether the force would have any sort of deterrent or offensive nature.
The U.S. missile-defense plan was pushed hard by the Bush administration, which said it would help protect Europe from missiles fired from Iran, for example. But Moscow said it would reduce Russia's missile-deterrent capability, and it threatened to put medium-range missiles in a region near Belarus' borders.
The fate of the U.S. project is less certain now that President Obama, who has signaled less enthusiasm for it, has taken office.
Belarus and Russia have been negotiating their joint air-defense system for years, with Belarus reportedly lobbying for better terms and more generous Russian aid. The business daily Kommersant said Lukashenko had demanded new Russian weapons at subsidized prices and Russian orders from Belarusian defense industries.
Independent military analyst Alexander Golts said the deal was most likely aimed at adding substance to a weakening Russia-Belarus alliance. He said Lukashenko also could use the deal to push the Kremlin for more aid.