An Early Christmas Gift From Russia

And it's a huge lump of coal.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2011/11/2011112319546630722.html

Russia threatens to target US missile shield.

Russia has threatened to deploy missiles to target the US missile shield in Europe if the US fails to allay the country's concerns about its plans.

In a televised statement on Wednesday, Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, said that his country would have to take military countermeasures if the US continues to build the shield without legal guarantees that it will not be aimed against Russia.

The US plan calls for placing land- and sea-based radars and interceptors in European locations, including Romania and Poland, over the next decade and upgrading them over time.

The Obama administration has repeatedly said the shield is needed to fend off a potential threat from Iran, but Russia fears that it could erode the deterrent potential of its nuclear forces.

Medvedev still hoped for a deal with the US on missile defence, but he strongly accused the US and its NATO allies of ignoring Russia's worries.

He made it clear that Russia will not be satisfied by simple declarations and wants a binding agreement, saying: "When we propose to put in on paper in the form of precise and clear legal obligations, we hear a strong refusal."