Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski on Tuesday made a strong response to Russia's stern warning against the proposed deployment of the U.S. missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.

It is not about Russian security, he told state Radio 1, adding the planned installations "do not in any way threaten Russia."

He accused Moscow of attempting to bring Poland once again into "the Russian sphere of influence."

Russian missile forces commander Nikolai Solovtsov on Monday warned that they would be capable of firing at U.S. missile defense elements in Poland and the Czech Republic should the two countries decide to host them.

"If the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic make the decision, the Strategic Missile Forces could put these facilities on the list of targets," Solovtsov told a news conference.

Dismissing the Russian warning, Kaczynski said the possibility of Russia regaining the influence of the Soviet era over Poland would be much limited once "the missile bases are installed."

Kaczynski and his Czech counterpart Mirek Topolanek said after talks on Monday that the two countries would probably agree to the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system in their territory.

"It is in our interests to negotiate on this issue. It is in the interests of our countries to host the anti-missile shield," Topolanek said.

On Jan. 20, Washington proposed building a radar center for its NMD system in the Czech Republic and deploying interceptor rockets in Poland.

The base in Poland would supplement two others located in Alaska and California. U.S. officials say that the shield has been designed to intercept rockets fired at the U.S. from the Middle or Far East.

According to a latest poll, 53 percent of the Poles opposed the deployment of the U.S. anti-missile system in their country.

The deployment of missile defense systems in Eastern Europe may prompt Moscow to withdraw from a treaty on the elimination of short- and medium-range nuclear arms.

Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky said in Washington on Thursday that Russia could unilaterally pull out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty if the United States deployed elements of its national missile defense (NMD) system in the Czech Republic and Poland.

Source: Xinhua