US missile base deal signed to further strain Moscow ties

Published on Wednesday 20 August 2008 10:33

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was today due to sign a deal with Poland that will see a US missile defence base built on the soil of the former Soviet satellite.

The deal to site ten US interceptor missiles at a base just 115 miles from Russia's westernmost frontier has further strained Moscow's ties with the West – already deeply troubled by Russia's conflict with Georgia.

Rice and her Polish counterpart, Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, were due to sign the deal in the presence of both the Polish president and prime minister.

President Lech Kaczynski said it was "an important day in our history".

In a televised address last night, he said the deal strengthened Poland's position in the world.

The country has in recent years joined the European Union and Nato.

The US says the missile defence system is aimed at protecting the US and Europe from future attacks from states like Iran. It rejects Moscow's insistence that it is a threat to Russia.