The big East-West chill

A war of words is mounting between Russia and the US, but what does this mean?

There has been a mounting war of words between
Russia and the US [AFP]

Yuri Baluyevsky, the Russian military’s chief of staff, has said that Moscow is prepared to use force, including pre-emptive force and nuclear weapons, to defend itself.

A day later, Radoslaw Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister, pledged that Warsaw would consult with Moscow over the missile defence facility the US wants to install in Poland.

There has been a mounting war of words that some say marks the biggest East-West chill since the end of the Cold War.

Inside Story discusses this escalation and asks what is next for Russian relations with the West.

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This episode of Inside Story aired on Tuesday, January 22, 2008

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