President Bush has arrived in the Czech Republic as tensions mount between Washington and Moscow over the Bush administration’s plan to deploy a missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to target Russian missiles at Europe if Washington goes ahead with the project.

Vladimir Putin: “If a new missile defense system will be deployed in Europe, then we need to warn you today that we will come with a response. We have to ensure our security, and we are not the initiator of this process.”

Putin also accused Washington of altering the strategic balance by unilaterally pulling out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002. President Bush said today Russia has nothing to fear from the missile defense system.