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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Russia 'halts missile deployment' | Russia 'halts missile deployment' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Russia's military has announced it will halt its plans to deploy short-range missiles in Kaliningrad, Russia's Interfax news agency has said. | Russia's military has announced it will halt its plans to deploy short-range missiles in Kaliningrad, Russia's Interfax news agency has said. |
| A Russian military official said a change in US attitude had prompted the latest decision, Interfax reported. | A Russian military official said a change in US attitude had prompted the latest decision, Interfax reported. |
| President Dmitry Medvedev announced the plan in November last year, saying it was to counteract US plans for an anti-missile shield based in Europe. | President Dmitry Medvedev announced the plan in November last year, saying it was to counteract US plans for an anti-missile shield based in Europe. |
| Russia had said it saw the US missile shield plan as a direct threat. | Russia had said it saw the US missile shield plan as a direct threat. |
| The US has insisted that its plan to base radars and interceptor missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic is designed solely to guard against attack by "rogue states", such as Iran. | The US has insisted that its plan to base radars and interceptor missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic is designed solely to guard against attack by "rogue states", such as Iran. |
| 'Missile defence gap' | |
| Mr Medvedev said in November that short-range Iskander missiles would be deployed in the western enclave of Kaliningrad, bordering Poland, to neutralise any perceived US threat. | Mr Medvedev said in November that short-range Iskander missiles would be deployed in the western enclave of Kaliningrad, bordering Poland, to neutralise any perceived US threat. |
| Bu on Wednesday, Interfax quoted an unnamed military official as saying that "the implementation of these plans has been halted in connection with the fact that the new US administration is not rushing through plans to deploy" parts of its missile defence shield in eastern Europe. | Bu on Wednesday, Interfax quoted an unnamed military official as saying that "the implementation of these plans has been halted in connection with the fact that the new US administration is not rushing through plans to deploy" parts of its missile defence shield in eastern Europe. |
| The US has agreements in place with Poland and the Czech Republic to plug what the US says is a gap in its global system of missile defence. | |
| The proposed system has Nato-wide backing. | |
| The US says Iran is working on long-range missile technology and that the US missile shield would counter this. |