Poland and the Czech Republic are raising the ante in negotiations with the US, demanding missiles to deploy against Russia and security and legal guarantees in return for hosting elements of the US missile shield.
The missile defense program is splitting Europe and igniting a new cold war-style clash with the Kremlin, and the demands from the central Europeans plunge the Pentagon project into greater uncertainty.
The negotiations, over extending the missile defense project from California and Alaska to Europe, are expected to be wound up before the end of the year. The Poles are insisting on US security guarantees and supplies of Patriot missiles to protect themselves against a perceived threat from Russia, while the Czechs are embroiled in discussions over how a US radar base south of Prague would be safeguarded and what's in it for the Czechs.
As Russia, in the words of a US official, delivers "bloodcurdling" threats in response to the Pentagon project in central Europe and unease spirals in Germany, there is also growing frustration in Warsaw and Prague with what is perceived as a high-handed approach by the US administration.
"We want legal guarantees. I can't go into details but it is to do with how the base is protected and also about the base agreement," a senior Czech official of the proposal for a radar base south-west of Prague said. "Unfortunately the Americans could have done more to engage the Russians over the past year."
The Polish demands are more incendiary and are certain to confirm the Russian belief that in the long term the new US bases in central Europe are aimed at Russia. The US and NATO say the 10 interceptor rockets in Poland will be there to deter a missile attack from the Middle East, especially Iran.
The Poles are telling the US that they do not feel threatened by Iran, but they do feel vulnerable to Vladimir Putin's Russia and need to build up their defenses. Patriots would help protect Poland from short and medium-range missiles from Russia.
If the Poles display their loyalty to the US by helping it defend against attack from the Middle East, the US should beef up Polish defenses against Russia, Warsaw argues.
The risk, say Russian and Polish experts, is that Poland could be turned into a "frontline state" against Russia.
In two recent speeches, Putin has delivered the strongest attacks of his seven-year presidency on the US, singling out the missile shield for criticism. US officials say they want to take the Polish security concerns into account, but are clearly wary of worsening the tension with Moscow by supplying Warsaw with missiles.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier echoed such anxieties yesterday.
"We have to avoid purchasing security for some at the cost of creating new mistrust or even insecurity," he said in a direct reference to the Polish-Russian dispute.
The Poles and the Czechs are frustrated at being taken for granted. Unless there is more in the deal for the host countries, they are telling the US it will be difficult to get the agreement of their parliaments.
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