Schwarzenberg: Czechs will not be intimidated by Russia over US bases

The Czech Republic will not be intimidated by Russia over plans to locate part of a US missile defence system on its territory, the Czech foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, said in Warsaw on Tuesday. He said Moscow's attempts to "blackmail" the Czech Republic would only make Czechs more determined to defend themselves.

On Monday, a senior military official in Moscow said if US bases were built in the Czech Republic and Poland, the Russian army would aim missiles at them. Under the American plan, Poland would host interceptor missiles, while the Czech Republic would be home to a radar base.