at a deportation hearing in the u.k. a russian woman denies she's a spine. to being the mistress of the. scandal has led to his resignation from the defense select committee. and up next as romania approves the placement of elements of a u.s. anti-missile defense system on its soil speaks to. the head of the state duma foreign affairs committee about what impact it may have on u.s. russian relations stay with us for spotlight. hello hello welcome to spotlight on hard times today my guest. is trying to think. along the european border that is deployed. outside st

petersburg. russia to neutralize the european anti-missile defense system which is being created by nato and. the standoff between nato and moscow will not turn into food for cooperation. the state duma foreign affairs committee and the russian delegation to the parliamentary assembly of the council of europe. the european missile defense system is designed to protect nato members from possible aggression from third parties namely iran moscow considers it a threat. as the launchers will be located in eastern europe. is seen as one of the countermeasures to the nato plans the launchers are mobile which makes it very difficult to. prevent the missiles from launching.

thank you very much it's. well first of all about these. people. new arms race between maybe started between the east and west irritated by the u.s. anti missile defense plans russia has promised a cheap and efficient response well first of all all of these there's really as cheap as they seem and. what do they call the real reset the end of reset at least who ever sink is comparable and is kind of their missiles are definitely not cheap but they are much cheaper than the anti missile systems we short to be deployed in europe by the united states and by probably by by nato the russian military budget is smaller the budget is smaller but it is increasing by the way

but in any case what muses me much in these comments is that people immediately storage to discuss what russia is planing to do not to do while the american plans or for deploying these systems are not being discussed that actively that frequently i would like to to recall the recent actions of russia by recent i mean the military actions by russia during the last two decades the russian start when we feared as an independent state was to decrease the so to see the military presence of russia so yes the russian military presence in europe by forty percent and most of russian will move through equipment and their armaments were moved out of europe to siberia to too far east part of russia which was never responded by adequately or by buying it later on we

opposed to keep alive the anti missile treaty between the former soviet union and the united states we refused or later on the air head in agreement with nato that. none of efficient new efficient military. resources would be deployed in a new member states of nato that was later on ignored by nato when bowlen joined nato when the baltic states joined nato in the remaining joint nato and some other kind. yes so we moved out of europe we moved out of the former soviet republics most of russian military bases while the united states continued to deploy new military bases in certain instead of encounters and the last but not least the current project of one to missile systems which used to be respond responded somehow there i do not think that is can there ease the response this is the the

usual military planning of russia i believe because we are outside of nato we're outside of the strongest military alliance in the history of mankind which is very close to the russian borders and to expect from russia that these expansion of nato this military planning of nato will be a left result any response any military spawns would have been absolutely naif you mentioned the increasing russia's military budget well this was one of the reasons why former finance minister could resign he said that he said that the military budget was too high well you and me we both remember the arms race they're doing the servitor and we all remember that it started very joyfully like like like a response to america's response to nato like very patriotic really but then suddenly we found ourselves it is that your issue when we were when we were really

worried about our own future and our children's future do you see signs of a new arms race going on and did does it worry you is going. number one mr cool didn't couldn't did not resign and he was fired by the president of russia and number two the reason was that the decision to increase the military budget of russia was a joint decision by the government of russia mr couldn't include it supported later on by the president of russia the basic id. of these decisions is not to storage and you are in series the basic idea is to re inforce the russian military sector and to do to invest more money in the military industry off russia. there and in the scientific sector of the russian economy to support officers who serve in the army to support a military posture near a store this is

a very complex program and it is not meant to to door to door to respond to the project or any other projects of or for for our partners or poignance in the military area and i believe that the final increase as you remember we are going to spend today into trillions of rubble so during the coming ten years the final result of it will be in any case march much lower then the current expenditure on military purposes by nato countries ok well we will . maybe we will have time to talk about further about and time missile and space defense and even about the russian plans to shoot down asteroids but this is if we if we have time this problem let's move on because i've got a number of question lined up for you there the other subject is the relations with

where with the ukraine. our leaders have on of course heard about the trial. for the former prime minister of ukraine well during the recent meeting between unicorn beach and damage of the russian president said that possibly a new gas contract will be signed with ukraine he well he didn't rule out the possibility though before over the last couple of years russia the russians said no no new contract we have this country and we have to stick to it as something cheap . in this respect the answer is no nothing has changed the position of the russian president until now and for now is absolutely clear the contras we have been silent are to be fulfilled what in. country in case the two parts the two commercial partners will agree on anything conditional ok

we have no problems with that but for then we need to have further agreements and as far as i know because russia and ukraine are not just two neighbors they are two partners in terms of energy security interests in terms of gas deliveries i do believe that both russia and ukraine are equally interested in having working mutual mutually. efficient contracts in their area so this is why i believe that both russia and ukraine are equally motivated to reach new agreements and to have a functioning system of these agreements so i believe that the new contract is absolutely possible and they hope that it will the new agreement will take place in the nearest future because nobody is interested in seeing in watching how this conflict is x. generating so so it's not about the relations between these two guys between medvedev

and you know courage but it's about the the business relations between gasper arm and that's opposite number in the ukraine so what kind of concessions could convince gazprom to lower prices for example for me the major concession is out of the price or guess transit view or interested in the territory of ukraine and neither the northern stream nor the southern stream change these situation dramatically will be will continue to use the territory of ukraine as a transit territory. as long as we have good contracts with ukraine and this is a big big amount of money and for for gas problem and it is very much into related so i believe that in case you crane is rated to move then russia would suit should be ready to move i am not in a position to to take any any any negotiating position and in this

situation but but i believe that what is important is that both russia and ukraine or eager to have countless reach are functional and we are mutually beneficial because of the person likes you because you are always ready to take responsibility for at least the foreign steps of the russian government will listen i russia has considered the trial against him a shanker to be to be politically motivated and anti russian this was the official position of the foreign ministry now the european union is suspending the meeting with the in college and moscow is holding a meeting with any college is that a contradiction. no no no it is not a contradiction because number one they may behave may be unhip of these the current court decisions with the current trial on madame tymoshenko but they have to respect the independence of the ukrainian juridical system we have to accept it we may have certain opinions on that but we cannot interfere and to my mind the

pressure which is now being set on ukraine on the korean leadership by their opinion union is it is too much he is too much it it cannot be accepted because i believe that very much of that pressure is motivated by certain simplicius a certain political force the within the european union i mean the european peoples party where. the end her party is a member or a seat of member they initiate the support coming from the repeal of the. you know and i don't i don't i don't like it to tell either c. grade or towards russia or other independent country at least we choose our own side of that if you will stick to the songs then continue right after a break. talking to spawn flied will be back in a minute the cells can stay with us to.

meet. the mood just sleep. soon. to. see.

the motions to be soo much brighter if you move out song from flutes to. screams from the stands on t.v. don't come. cheap. welcome back to spotlight i'm going of in just a reminder my guest in the studio today is concerned because i charge chairman of the state duma committee on foreign affairs and also head of the russian delegation to the parliamentary assembly at the council of europe mr castro we started talking about about ukraine's relations with the west we were with europe well

the trial the trial against. the former prime minister certainly hampers the ukrainian european future as they put it in in ukraine and ukraine is pretty much afraid that that the response of the european union will be very negative two to two europe's and to ukraine's integration do you think that this is true that this is really the case well i believe this is a very big political game and ukrainian authorities are and are all being more or less blackmailed by by their opinion union in order to to to motivate mr unocal which to to set pressure on the court system of ukraine again i do not believe this is a fear approach from the european union but in any case i want to bring europe was never big fan of commission when she was she was prime minister why is such such

interference now again i don't being support and boy very influential political force in europe the european people's party which has the biggest party faction in the european parliament which has the biggest party faction in the parliamentary assembly of the council of europe and they can see how these specific they are living i turned here some years ago this specific political group initiates all the time this active approach by their opinion by the council of europe. among others but in any case i do not believe that the case of my done. can explode can undermine the relation between the european union and ukraine the union is very very much interested in having q create a terrible part of the common european space not as a member state of the repeal of the union i do not believe that there is

a realistic perspective for ukraine but to keep it inside and to keep it sort of to put it that way to keep to keep it as far as possible from russia they will never acknowledge it but this is the part of the game and they don't like because this approach either your results or you are with them is a fool's approach it does not contribute to the unity of europe in the world it does not look and they feel sympathy with the people of ukraine because they're being pushed into this position of choice you have to choose either your be very puny union or you are was russia and in this sense i believe i believe that russia acts in their march march more gentle and delicate way we do not ever say to it or ukrainian partners either or and we believe that the membership of ukraine where all participation of ukraine in the custom union in the common european common economic space with russia kazakhstan and belarus or does not

exclude through their integration of ukraine into the european union so this is a not a case of a choice to my mind and the ukraine ukraine just needs to to handle all of jointly and to take a decision we should all correspond with the national interest of ukraine and these national interest of ukraine are definitely inside of europe but inside of a united europe because all countries. of the european continent included and not excluded as one of the people feeling the pulse of the russian foreign politics do you feel today that this tension with europe is really pushing ukraine. closer to russia for example for example to the customs union leader well at least at least i know that the korean leadership now or has restarted the restart of the

consideration of different options and i do not believe that this is just the can sequence of the sequence of the pressure which is now being said on ukraine from the opinion from the side of their opinion this is a very or sober. financial calculation and the figures are there and the figures point out a very clear perspective there in case you create states outside of the custom union in case your green stays outside of the common economics piece of the custom union of the eurasian union ukraine will lose march mar much more in comparison with what it gains out of the common economic space with european union mr putin the russian prime minister announced his plans to create what he called the eurasian union on the space. some immediately he's

potent of trying to restore the soviet union well this is. the majority of the country the countries do they really want a confident russia what's your opinion number one year puny union was established. through the so-called roma treaty but nobody blames the initiator of the european union project for trying to restore the roman empire you know this. it is a very nature will process when certain countries which are neighbors to each other try to do to facilitate their economic legislation the custom regulations and all other things no the answer is no russia does not try to restore the former soviet union russia tries to set on the new project because of

the previous barrage of the c.i.s. the common cannibals of independent states frankly speaking it's still a rather good political project but it does not work in economic terms of the call of the civilized defense did you know it is true the civilized world the divorce instrument exactly so i think that increase both russia kazakhstan belorussia probably kyrgyzstan probably some other countries very broadly you agree in those conditions it may broadly ukraine see advantages of this cooperation be should forget about trying to to to to to stamp on this project like this duration of the former soviet union or anything else and support integration on the post soviet space for the simple reason this integration contributes very much to the stable economic financial social development in these countries and i believe that the

european union should be very much interested in having a stable predictable economic social and all of the developments in russia in ukraine in kazakhstan india russia and all others so the project of the year eurasian union does not contradict the idea of the common european unity and space it is not aimed against any other union against any other country and it is to be supported by any of the union in any other country but prime minister putin was hurt by. i made this comparison of his plans to restoring the soviet union because he most of the time at his recent interview to russian television he spent trying to explain that he's not a fan of mr gresham and that he's not restoring they listen. so it didn't hurt him . well you know that was a question put to him and there are certain campaign against the.

cert or forced term of mr putin of the president or for us or ease he will be elected on that position in march next year or so it is there a natural thing to do to respond these to respond these discussions but i do not seeing that this is the the highest priority of mr putin or anybody else in the russian leadership to to to compare and to deny comparison between the more than russia and the former soviet union it is completely out of the in the car and the more than agenda of the russian leadership the next parliamentary election russia will take place in december and i know that the europeans the council of europe and the earliest see are usually giving you a hard time during this election they're trying to send as many observers there as they can while the russians always want to reduce the number of these observers why this is not about the figures it has never been told to figure out what it is it

has been all the time about the great theory about the principles the the largest the recent largest election in iraq took place in turkey this june i do not believe that turkey is completely out of country versus it is. certain ones free certain service from oh see a bureau for democratic institutions the first proposals doubles russia was two hundred and three hundred or two hundred sixty. twenty times more twenty times more turkey has a population which is just two times lists in comparison with russia and russia trying to go to big military tree we do not speak above the theory to who we speak about the number of voters this is the reason this is a much more diverse than spread the observers across the whole territory well the turkey is not that small either so our our reaction is please give us

a good explanation why certain countries are considered as good once and certain countries are considered as bad ones and who is to take that decision and suddenly we discover that this decision is taken on the very unplanned sprint grounds by bureaucrats not politicians and by people who are hired who has court who have contracts who do not represent countries or political parties or innocence in person no i mean people in the bureau of democratic institutions or do you see or would you reaches the major observation body in the you know scene area and suddenly we cannot find this great theater we cannot get a good explanation of the you are to be obscured by this number of serious for these or that reason and this is not good and this is why we take a certain position but i will confirm to you the mentor assembly of the council you

will send the largest possible delegation to russia the parliamentary assembly of all we see you will send the largest possible delegation to russia and we have reached an agreement to be only see about two hundred a service which is still much much more in comparison research let's say turkey but the reaches which has been accepted by russia thank you thank you very much it's a pity that we didn't have time to discuss the shooting down in advance through his moving towards receiver but there but i love that what about i about the roman roman treaty not recreating the roman empire that was that would like to. you did your homework thank you very much come from was my guess well spotlight today and he's the chairman of the state duma committee on foreign affairs and ahead of the russian delegation to the parliamentary assembly of the council of europe and that's it for now from all of the spotlight will be back until then stay on r.t. and take a listen. a

country in crisis furious greeks rampage through athens over fresh government cuts during a forty eight hour general strike that leaves the country paralyzed at least seventy thousand gathered in the capital as fierce clashes broke out near the parliament building where rioters threw federal bombs at police who responded with tear gas the new austerity package that could be voted on as early as thursday ahead of an e.u. crisis summit to hammer out a second bailout for greece. to move or be moved to the nato all to meet them angers ethnic serbs manning a makeshift barricades at a disputed border checkpoint a ban on the import of goods from serbia left close of in the service of feeling it was a direct attack on their way of life the situation did.