The reluctance of taking into account Russian interests in the issue of the European missile defense system can cause serious damage to ties between Russia and NATO, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in an interview with RIA Novosti on Friday.
Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate on the so-called European missile defense system at the Lisbon summit in November 2010. NATO insists there should be two independent systems that exchange information, while Russia favors a joint system with full-scale interoperability.
"This project should be a tool for strengthening the security of all countries of the Russia-NATO Council, to contribute to the maintenance of strategic stability, and not to weaken it," Lukashevich said. "The reluctance of not taking into account Russia's interests in such a principle question like strategic stability can cause serious damage to Russian-NATO relations."
Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said in June after talks with NATO over the European missile defense shield that they "did not result in the solution of conceptual approaches," adding that Russia would develop its own offensive nuclear force if NATO fails to come to agreement over the European defense shield.
Russia has retained staunch opposition to the planned deployment of U.S. missile defense systems near its borders, claiming they would be a security threat. NATO and the United States insist that the shield would defend NATO members against missiles from North Korea and Iran and would not be directed at Russia.
The United States is already deploying its missile defense system in Europe without waiting for an agreement with Russia, Russia's envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said in May.
Romania announced earlier this year that it had reached an agreement with the United States to deploy a U.S. missile interceptor system at a disused Soviet airbase on its territory. Moscow then issued an urgent request for legal guarantees from the United States that its missile shield will not target Russia's strategic nuclear forces.
Rogozin also said also in May that Russia would cooperate with NATO only on a joint European missile defense network project, but will not be part of a U.S. missile defense in Europe.
