Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is calling for assurances that the planned European missile defense project will be safe for Russia, according to UPI. In a recent letter from Medvedev to the Russia-NATO council, the leader asked for reliable guarantees the missile shield wouldn't undermine Russian strategic defense, RIA Novosti reported Saturday. Following years of debate, Russia agreed in November to cooperate with NATO on the project. Russia favors a joint system while NATO favors two separate shields that would share data. Russia was unsettled by recent new that the United States and Romania would install missile interceptors in Romania, viewed as potentially weakening Russia's nuclear arsenal, the news agency reported. "The letter said the European missile defense shield would only be truly effective and feasible if Russia is involved in the project on an equal basis," RIA Novosti quoted a message from the Kremlin as stating.
