Kremlin wary of 'Cold War hangovers'

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MOSCOW, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- The Russian foreign minister warned that any unilateral buildup of missile capabilities would lead to "Cold War hangovers."

The United States aims to deploy a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. The Kremlin said the plans would upset the strategic balance in the region, though Washington said the deployment would be a deterrent to Iranian threats.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he wanted binding and verifiable guarantees that any Western defense posturing in Eastern Europe wouldn't target Russia.

"Any unilateral and unlimited buildup of the missile capability by one state or a group of states would lead to the preservation of Cold War hangovers, damaging strategic stability in violation of all the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe members' obligations not to strengthen their security at the expense of others," he was quoted by state-run news agency RIA Novosti as saying.

Russia last week deployed a regiment armed with the S-400 missile defense system to the port city of Nakhodka in the Far East. The defense shield can track multiple targets as far as 370 miles.

The deployment to the Far East comes as U.S. military officials assess their strategic defense posture in the Asia-Pacific.