GENERAL BUZHINSKIY MEETS CODEL TAUSCHER: MD COOPERATION TO

UNCLAS MOSCOW 003776 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR PARM KNNP OREP RS SUBJECT: GENERAL BUZHINSKIY MEETS CODEL TAUSCHER: MD COOPERATION TO BUILD TRUST ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Meeting the Codel Tauscher delegation on December 16, Lt. Gen. Buzhinskiy argued the U.S. and Russia could cooperate on short- and medium-range MD systems, but not if the U.S. also moved forward with plans to deploy a long-range MD system in Poland and the Czech Republic. He told the CODEL that the MD talks held with U/S Rood earlier that day achieved little, and he hoped that the incoming Obama administration could find a solution to the MD issue. He told the CODEL that the GOR would like to have all nuclear warheads included in official tallies in a post-START document, and the GOR would also like to continue the destruction of delivery vehicles. Buzhinskiy said little trust was left between the U.S. and Russia, and the U.S.'s proposed transparency and confidence-building measures did little to fix this. He pointed to what he saw as U.S. backtracking on commitments to Russia as having eroded trust between the USG and GOR. He posited that the GOR did not think Iran would acquire a missile system capable of striking the U.S. or its NATO allies anytime soon, and the GOR felt the proposed MD system to be place in the Czech Republic and Poland could pose a threat to Russia security. End Summary. -------------- Short and Medium Range MD Cooperation Possible -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In a December 16 meeting with Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA),Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA),Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO),and staff members, First Deputy Chief of MOD's Main Directorate for International Cooperation Lieutenant-General Yevgeniy Buzhinskiy said that the U.S. and Russia could cooperate on short- and medium-range missile defense (MD) systems. He argued the U.S. Aegis and PAC-3 missile systems, along with the Russian S-400 were excellent systems and could, together with the Gabala radar site, form the core of a joint U.S.-Russian short- and medium-range MD system. He cautioned, however, that the GOR would not work with the U.S. on short- and medium-range MD systems if the U.S. continued to pursue a long-range MD system. -------------- MD Talks Yielded Little, GOR Wants To Retain Elements of START -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Buzhinskiy said that MD talks held with U/S John Rood earlier that day yielded little. According to Buzhinskiy, U.S. and Russian approaches to MD were so different that he saw little possibility for an agreement to be reached soon. He expressed his hope that the incoming Obama administration could find a solution. ¶4. (SBU) Buzhinskiy reiterated to Rep. Tauscher the Russian goal of including all warheads in official tallies of arsenals for the U.S. and Russia in the post-START agreement. He said the GOR would also like to retain requirements for the destruction of delivery vehicles from the START Treaty as well. Buzinskiy also posited that the GOR does not need another "purely symbolic" document such as the Moscow Treaty. -------------- A Question of Trust -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Buzhinskiy argued that there was not enough trust left between the U.S. and Russia to achieve meaningful cooperation on MD. "The proposed transparency and confidence-building measures proposed by the U.S. did little to build trust," he asserted. Buzhinskiy pointed to what he saw as a "slippery slope" of statements made by the USG as having eroded trust between the U.S. and Russia. According to Buzhinskiy, senior USG officials told him in 2005 the U.S. would not deploy MD systems outside the United States. They subsequently said the U.S. would deploy MD sites outside of the United States, but not without consulting with Russia first, he posited. Buzhinskiy argued that the U.S. has not actually consulted with Russia on MD, but rather simply made decisions and informed the GOR of them. ¶6. (SBU) Buzhinskiy said Iran currently has missiles with a range of about 2,500 km, and the GOR did not expect Iran to pursue longer-range missiles or threaten the U.S. any time soon. This shortage of trust and differing assessment of Iranian capabilities contributed to the GOR view that the proposed MD sites in Poland and the Czech Republic could pose a threat to Russian security. ¶7. (SBU) The delegation did not clear this message. BEYRLE