Pentagon remains in contact with China, Russia at 'highest levels' amid THAAD tension
The PentagonThe United States remains in contact with Chinese and Russian leaders "at the highest levels," the Pentagon said Friday, as Beijing and Moscow protest strongly the planned deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile defense system to South Korea.South Korea and the U.S. announced earlier that they have officially decided to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to South Korea to cope with ever-growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.China, which has long voiced opposition to THAAD in the South, strongly protested the decision, saying the deployment does not help achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and hurts peace and stability in the region.Russia also expressed similar protests."As we have long said, THAAD is a purely defensive system designed to counter short- and medium-range regional ballistic missiles. It would not undermine China's or Russia's strategic deterrent," Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, told Yonhap News Agency."A THAAD system in the ROK (South Korea) would be focused solely on North Korea and contribute to a lay
Jul 9, 2016