Wednesday, 11 August 2021 (YJC)_ Ukraine's willingness to host US missile defense systems was seen by Russia as provocative and tense.
According to Itar-Tass, Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Duma, called Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Reznikov Oleksii's remarks about the country's desire to host US missile systems provocative and warned that Moscow Will not leave unanswered.
The Russian official also warned that the deployment of US missile defense systems in Ukraine would upset the balance of power in the region and beyond.
The US Aegean systems are equipped with MK-41 launchers, which are used not only to intercept hostile targets but also to launch cruise missiles, and according to Slutsky, their deployment on the Russian border exacerbates tensions and reactions. Moscow will lead severely.
Tensions between Moscow and Kiev escalated following the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 and eventually led to a Western bloc alignment against Moscow.