Putin: Russia Will Target Former Satellites If Necessary

Russian President Vladimir Putin has again warned that Russian missiles will be pointed at Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Poland if those countries allow U.S. missile defense facilities to be deployed within their borders.

Speaking at his last annual news conference before stepping down in May, Mr. Putin also said that Russia did not plan a conflict with the West, and would not point its missiles at any state unless it was forced to do so.

Mr. Putin, who is constitutionally barred from running for president again, said he has no reservations about becoming prime minister under Russia's next president. Mr. Putin's hand picked successor, Dmitry Medvedev, has a wide lead in the polls ahead of the March 2nd election

Mr. Putin has long expressed opposition to U.S. plans to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland, and guidance radar in the Czech Republic to protect against missile attacks by rogue states such as Iran.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

Posted in: World News