U.S. Cancels Missile Shield in Eastern Europe

In a midnight telephone call to Czech Republic interim Prime Minister Jan Fischer, President Obama announced that his administration is shelving a nuclear-missile defense shield the Bush administration was planning to build in eastern Europe. Pentagon officials confirmed the move Thursday morning, saying the decision was based on the fact that Iran's nuclear program has developed much more slowly than expected, and is not considered an imminent threat to the continental United States or major European capitals.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the decision was a positive step and would improve relations for all nations involved. Russia welcomed the news Thursday, but said it was no reason for Moscow to make concessions. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev had threatened to station tactical missiles on the border of Poland if the U.S. did not back down on the missile shield, claiming it was targeted at Moscow's nuclear arsenal. Leaders of Poland and the Czech Republic expressed dismay over the change in U.S. policy; they had looked forward to the shield as protection from a resurgent Russia. A Czech ambassador said the two countries expect U.S. to "honor its commitments."

U.S. Shelves Nuclear-Missile Shield [Wall Street Journal]
Barack Obama Abandons Missile Defense Shield in Europe [The Guardian]