"Such a new situation objectively requires corresponding measures from us," Kamynin said.

He did not specify what those measures would be. Russia, however, announced earlier this year that it was supplying Belarus -- an ex-Soviet republic wedged between Russia and Poland -- with its sophisticated S-300 anti-aircraft defense system.

The United States has for years been planning and testing elements of a new global anti-missile defense system that would combine space-based elements capable of detecting hostile missile launches with ground-based rockets that would track and destroy those missiles.

Washington has consistently stated that the objective of the planned system is to protect the United States and allies from ballistic missile launches from what it terms "rogue" states such as North Korea or Iran, and has insisted that it is not aimed against any other party.

With equal consistency however, Moscow has made clear its deep unease at the planned US system. Most recently, the chief of staff of Russia's armed forces, General Yuri Baluyevsky, warned that the planned US system could ignite a new Cold War-style arms race.

"First of all, we take a critical view of this plan," Kamynin told Interfax.

"On such issues, we cannot be satisfied simply with assurances that 'there are no plans' for US and NATO anti-missile defense in Europe to be directed against Russia," the ministry spokesman added.

Poland, once a close ally of Moscow that has become a key defense partner for Washington over the past decade, has mad no secret of its willingness to consider deployment on its territory of elements of the planned US system.

"Russia has very frankly communicated its unhappiness to us, the prospect of the US planting a missile defense base in Poland," Stars and Stripes, the daily newspaper of the US armed forces, quoted Polish Defense Minister Radoslaw Sikorski as saying last month.

"Clearly, we have to take this Russian view, a powerful neighbor of ours, into account. And that makes us even more insistent on a package of measures that would hypothetically come with a missile defense base, if the US asks for it," the paper quoted him as saying.

It said that Poland was one of only two countries -- the other being the Czech Republic -- that has said it would in theory be open to hosting US missile defense units.

The paper noted that a possible deployment of US missile interceptors in Poland "would represent the first permanent US military presence in the country."

earlier related report
Poland seeks to reassure Russia on planned US missile shield
Warsaw (AFP) Oct 03 - Poland said Tuesday it would use the upcoming visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to reassure Moscow that the planned US missile defense system, which could use Poland as a European base, would not target Russia.

"I hope that during Mr Lavrov's visit to Poland we will be able to convince him that any decision on the missile defense shield... including on installing part of it in Poland, would in no way be directed against Russia," said Andrzej Krawczyk, the official in charge of foreign policy in the office of Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

Washington wants to deploy 10 interceptor missiles and a radar in Europe to reinforce its defences against the threat of a ballistic missile attack from North Korea or Iran, and currently has its eye on either the Czech Republic or Poland as the favoured home for the new system.

On Tuesday, a day before Lavrov was due to visit Poland, Russian foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin warned the United States against basing the planned missile defense system in Poland.

"This could have a negative impact on strategic stability, regional security and the relations between states," the Interfax news agency quoted Kamynin as saying in an interview.

"Such a new situation objectively requires corresponding measures from us," Kamynin said.

He did not specify what those measures would be. Russia, however, announced earlier this year that it was supplying Belarus -- an ex-Soviet republic wedged between Russia and Poland -- with its sophisticated S-300 anti-aircraft defense system.

The United States has for years been planning and testing elements of a new global anti-missile defense system that would combine space-based elements capable of detecting hostile missile launches with ground-based rockets that would track and destroy those missiles.

Poland, once a close ally of Moscow but now a key defense partner for Washington, has made no secret of its willingness to consider deployment on its territory of elements of the planned US system.

A spokesman for the Polish defence ministry said Russia's fears about having a US missile defence shield on its doorstep were unfounded.

"The system is designed to intercept long-range missiles originating from directions" other than Russia, Polish defense ministry spokesman Piotr Paszkowski told AFP.

He added that Washington has made "no formal proposal" to Poland to house the European part of the missile defense shield.

"We are still waiting for a proposal from the Americans... It is difficult at this point to talk about any negotiations being under way. At this stage, we must not get involved in arguments over this topic," he said.

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