Russia to forge ahead on missile shield

Russia's deputy prime minister Sunday said Moscow is prepared to build its own missile defense system to protect against potential NATO threats. Dmitry Rogozin made the vow in a Twitter message after NATO Secretary General Anders Fog Rasmussen was quoted as saying the alliance would continue its program to establish a shield around Western Europe, RIA Novosti reported. "Well, as for us, we also feel responsibility for protecting our population from your missile threat and will create a reliable air and space defense," wrote Rogozin, who was previously Russia's envoy to NATO. Russia and NATO have an agreement in place to cooperate on a European missile shield, but Russia wants to operate a single joint system while NATO wants separate systems that share information. Russia has in the past said it was concerned a NATO missile-defense system would allow the West to attack Russia without the risk of a retaliatory strike. Rogozin said efforts work out a compromise at the weekend global security conference in Munich were unsuccessful.