Putin warns of 'second Cuba'
Putin: This could be the start of a second Cuban missile crisis
Also In The News
|
Directed by Michael Moore, out Friday October 26th, in cinemas, starring Michael Moore, Tony Benn, running time 123 mins . |  |
Friday, 26, Oct 2007 08:01
Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned that the United States' plans to build a missile defence system could create 'another Cuban missile crisis'.
Speaking after a summit of European Union leaders in Portugal, Mr Putin claimed the American plans were akin to those of the old Soviet Union, who began to build a missile base on the island, just 90 miles from the shores of Florida.
The current meeting is aimed at strengthening relations between Russia and the rest of the continent after a series of disagreements over disarmament and foreign policy objectives.
But Mr Putin fired a warning shot to American president George W Bush, saying he thought the situation regarding the modern-day weapons defence system is "technologically… very similar " to the Cuban crisis.
In 1962 the two superpowers came perilously close to full-scale war when American president John F Kennedy ordered ships to blockade the Caribbean from Russian ships taking supplies to the missile base construction.
However disaster was avoided at the 11th hour when Soviet premiere Nikita Khrushchev told his convoy to stand down and return and agreed to dismantle the missile base.
Mr Bush says the United States is in "urgent" need of the planned missile defence system because of fears of a nuclear strike by Iran or another rogue state.
Although Mr Putin believes the move is a threat to Russian power because construction is taking place in near-neighbouring countries such as the Czech Republic and Poland.
"I would remind you how relations were developing in an analogous situation in the middle of the 1960s," he said.
"Analogous actions by the Soviet Union when it deployed rockets in Cuba provoked the Cuban missile crisis.
"For us, technologically, the situation is very similar."
Mr Putin tempered his comments, saying he "can call President Bush my friend", but he added, "we've put forward solutions and we haven't yet received any answer".