By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized Thursday the opening of the US-NATO missile defense base in Poland.
It is "a blatantly provocative step in a series of deeply destabilizing actions by the United States and its NATO allies in the strategic sphere," she said.
Zakharova indicated that Russia had been closely monitoring the base in Redzikowo for years to prepare countermeasures.
"Given the nature and level of threats posed by such Western military facilities, the missile defense base in Poland has long been identified as a priority target for potential destruction, if necessary, using a wide range of advanced weapons," she said.
Responding to Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhkna's suggestion that European military forces should be sent to Ukraine, Zakharova warned that deploying NATO troops in Ukraine would mean direct involvement in a conflict with Russia.
"This would have catastrophic consequences not only for Europe but for the entire world," she cautioned. She also criticized the Baltic states for their aggressive rhetoric, particularly targeting Estonia's "radical and nationalist overtones."