Russia Pushes Back Against Pentagon Plans to Deploy Armor to Region

By Newsmax

After the Pentagon signaled that it may move heavy armor to several Baltic and Eastern European countries to stabilize the region against Russian aggression, Russia has issued a veiled statement urging the United States to back down.

According to The New York Times, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said it hopes that Washington will decide not to make deployments.

"We hope that reason will prevail and the situation in Europe will be prevented from sliding into a new military confrontation which may have dangerous consequences," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to the Times.

The Times reported on Saturday that the Obama administration is considering moving battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and other heavy weapons for up to 5,000 American troops in the region.

The deployment would be the such first buildup since the end of the Cold War after fears have grown in recent months about Russia's decision to annex Crimea and its military interference in eastern Ukraine.

Russia has also launched rounds of surveillance flights by the military extending across Western Europe and North America, which is causing concern.

Poland and the Baltic States have welcomed the possible American military buildup of the area.              

The ministry said the deployment would rollback a 1997 agreement between Russia and NATO in which the alliance said it would not position major combat forces near Russian borders.

The Pentagon maintains, however, that there is a distinction between moving weapons versus the deployment of troops.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would be adding more than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to its nuclear arsenal this year.

"More than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles able to overcome even the most technically advanced anti-missile defense systems will be added to the make-up of the nuclear arsenal this year," Putin said during a visit to a major exhibition of new Russian weaponry.

Russian officials are warning that Russia will retaliate if the United States deploys the weaponry.

"The feeling is that our colleagues from NATO countries are pushing us into an arms race," Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told the RIA news agency during the event, according to Reuters.