"If the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic take such a step . . . the Strategic Missile Forces will be capable of targeting these facilities if a relevant decision is made," Solovtsov told reporters in Moscow, asserting the US plan could upset the strategic balance of power in the region.
Solovtsov spoke as Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and his Polish counterpart, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, both in Warsaw, suggested they were ready to move forward with a plan by Washington to put 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar site in the Czech Republic.
Topolanek said both countries will probably agree to the basic US proposal, though they must still work out the details. "I think it is in our joint interest to negotiate this initiative and to build . . . the missile defense," he said.
US officials say that the 10 proposed interceptors -- which they say are designed to stop a launch from the Middle East -- are not aimed at Russia. Moscow, with its huge and sophisticated nuclear arsenal, could easily overwhelm such a small system simply by launching more than 10 missiles.
Putin has said he does not trust US assertions that the missile defense system was intended to counter threats from Iran. He has warned that Russia could take retaliatory action.
Solovtsov, speaking before the announcement in Warsaw, voiced concern that Washington could in the future expand and upgrade the antimissile system. That could, at least in theory, limit Russia's ability to retaliate to a nuclear missile strike against its territory.
Solovtsov also said Russia could easily make new, upgraded versions of Russian intermediate-range missiles scrapped under the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, negotiated between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and President Reagan in 1987.
Kaczynski, the Polish prime minister, brushed aside Moscow's fears, saying "the missile defense is not directed against any normal state."
"Any statement suggesting that the missile defense would change the alignment of forces in Europe is a misunderstanding," he said. "This truth is being conveyed to our partners in the West and the East."
Analysts said the angry words reflect the growing climate of suspicion between Moscow and the West.
