Russia would respond to missile shield

MOSCOW, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Russia may place strategic bombers and missile-defense systems in Belarus if Poland agrees to a U.S. missile defense shield, the Russian ambassador said.

Ambassador Alexander Surikov said in Moscow that any military cooperation between Belarus and Russia would not involve nuclear weapons, the Novosti news agency reported Wednesday.

"When Poland signs a treaty with the United States on the deployment of missile defense elements, then we will be in a position to discuss some additional aspects of military cooperation with Belarus," Surikov said.

While the United States says that the missile shield proposed for Poland and the Czech Republic is a defense against "rogue states" like Iran, Russia opposes the plan. Russian officials say that the missile shield would threaten its national security.