inside the building lawmakers. people on the street in the first words. after some demonstrators tried to prevent activists from attacking police lines leading to the death of one man after he was hit by a rock greece needs to make more for another stave off bankruptcy. peace keepers are. fighting to keep control of crossing along the border with serbia tried to seize control of the checkpoints during the summer sparking the current standoff during which local elected makeshift barricades of insurgent refuse to recognize kosovo's independence and consider the. next 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 that on spotlight.

hello again though welcome to spotlight on a hard time today my guest. is trying to think it's more along the european border that is deployed. outside st petersburg experts see a. move 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 chairman of 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 major 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 tie that into prevent the missiles from launching . thank you very much it's pleasure to have you here. well as first of all about these kinder miss sounds and that about there were what were people. new arms race

between maybe started between the east and the west. irritated by the u.s. anti missile defense plans russia has promised a cheap and efficient response well first of all are these is can there's really as cheap as they seem and there is at the end. what do they call the real reset the end of reset at least who ever sink is comparable and. 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 all the russian military budget is smaller than the budget is smaller but it is increasing by the way but in any case what music's me much in these comments is that people immediately start 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 add 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 the years of the russian military presence in europe by forty percent and most of russian will neuter equipment and their armaments were moved out of europe to siberia to far east part of russia which was never responded by adequately or by buying it or later on the a proposed to keep it alive the anti missile treaty between the former soviet union and the united states we refused to later on the air head in agreement with nato there. none of efficient new efficient military.

resources would be deployed in new member states of nato that was later on ignored by nato when bolen joined nato and the baltic states joining nato in the remaining joint natan some other countries 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 stupid encounters and the last but not least the current project of anti missile systems which used to be respond responded somehow there i do not thing that is kind there is the response this is the. usual military planning of russia i believe because we are outside of nato we are 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 in a physical human shouldn't the increasing russia's military budget while 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 during the times 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 who 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 calderon included supported later on by the president of russia the basic idea of these decisions is not to storage and you arms to raise the basic idea is to re inforce the russian military sector and to do to invest more money in the military or industry or russia at the end in the scientific sector of the russian economy to support officers who serve in the army to support the military puncture nearest or this is a very complex program and it is not meant to to to to to or 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 securing the coming ten years the final result of it will be in any case much 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 all of course heard about the trial. of the four the former prime minister of ukraine well during the recent meeting between a unicorn each and them live the russian president said that. sibley and you guys

contract will be signed with ukraine he will 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 contract and we have to stick to it has something changed 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 which have been signed are to be fulfilled what in theory in your. 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 reworking 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. and 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 the price or guess transit view or into. is the territory of ukraine and

neither the northern stream nor the southern streams change this situation dramatically will be will continue to use the territory of ukraine as a transit territory as long as we have good contacts with ukraine and this is a big big amount of money and for 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 related to more women not in a position to take any 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 like c. 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 him 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 maybe on help of this the current court decision of the current trial on madame tymoshenko but they have to respect the independence of the ukrainian juridical system we have to accept that 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 sim persist. a

certain political force within the european union i mean the european people started. have part it is a member or a member they initiate the support coming from the repeal of the union and i don't i don't i don't like it to talk either to oversee grain or towards russia or other independent country at least the site of that opinion it will stick to the some extent continue right after the break. talking to sponsor lines will be back in a minute the cells can stay with the new. shoes that so much a lot of people at my area will. tell you if it's mostly fifty occupy protests

occurring in eighty two countries worldwide this is a global protest movement with staying power. wealthy british style it's time to. go. to. market. to find out what's really happening to the global economy for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines to cause a report on r.t. . welcome back to spotlight i'm going of in just to remind my guest in the studio today is concerned chairman of the state duma committee on foreign affairs and also the head of the russian delegation to the palm tree assembly at the council of

europe mystic. we started talking about about ukraine's relations with the west we were with europe well the trial the trial against. the former ukrainian 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 to two to europe's and to ukraine's integration do you think that this is true that this is really the case well i believe that this is a very big political game and ukrainian authorities are in 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 a big fan of commission when she was she was prime minister why such such interference now again the document is being supported 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 all of our time here so yes how this specific a specific political group initiates all the time these active approach by their opinion by the council of europe in one gathers but in any case i do not believe that the case of my dumb too much ankle can explode can undermine the cold the relation between the european union and ukraine the union is very very much interested in having q korean ears and 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 false it broach it does not contribute to the unity of europe in the world it does not work 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 will participation of ukraine in the custom union in the common european common economic space with russia kazakhstan and below russia 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 us 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 or leave it 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 sober. financial calculation and the figures are there and the figures point out a very clear perspective there in case states outside of the custom union in case your green stays outside of the common economic space 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 pearl said space. some immediately he's potent of trying to restore the soviet union well this is rude to. the majority of the country that we countries do they really want a confident nation russia what's your opinion number one the puny union was established. through the so-called roma treaty but nobody blames the initiator of the union project for trying to restore the roman empire you know this is a very nature will process when certain countries which are neighbors to each other try to to 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 the previous project the c.i.s. the common cause of those of independent states rankly speaking it's still a rather good political project but it does not work in economic terms of the call of the civilised defense did you know it is true the civilized world the divorce instrument yeah exactly so i think that in case both russia kazakhstan belorussia probably kyrgyzstan probably some other countries very broadly you agree in those conditions there may broadly agree see advantages of this cooperation we should forget about trying to to to to to stamp on this project like this to ration 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 deal development in these countries and i believe that the 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 other union in any other country but prime minister putin was hurt by 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 is not a fan of mr gresham and that he is not restoring there this early so it didn't hurt

him in. well you know that was a question put to him and there were certain campaign against the. cert or force term of mr putin of the president or for us or ease he will leave 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 this discussion 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 problem introduction russia will take place in december and i know that the europeans the council of europe and the earliest sea 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 are always going to reduce the number of these observers why this is not about the figures it has never been told the figures it is it has been all the time and borrowed the great theory about the principles of the the largest the recent largest election in europe took place in turkey this june i do not believe that turkey is completely out of country versus it is certain ones free certain observers from oh see a bureau for democratic institutions the first proposal doubles russia was two hundred three hundred or two hundred sixty. twenty times more twenty times more turkey has a population which is just two times list in comparison with russia that russia turned to go to big military tree we do not speak above the theory to who we speak about the number of voters this is because 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 these decision is taken on the very unplanned sprint grounds by bureaucrats not politicians and by people who are hired who have score who have contracts who do not represent countries or political points or innocence in person no i mean people in the bureau of democratic institutions or do you would you reaches the major observation by the in the you know see area and suddenly we can not 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 that 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 observers which is still much much more in comparison with 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 of the vast through his living to one's interest. but there but i love that what about i about the roman roman treaty not recreating the roman empire that was a good life. you didn't know where thank you very much come from well my guess was part of my name 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 there

going to let me stay on r.t. and take a listen. breaking

news on r t a former libyan leader moammar gadhafi is dead he was captured by government forces during an attack on the city of syria libya's acting prime minister announced of the death after troops seized control of the city from loyalists colonel gadhafi ruled libya for forty two years before he was ousted by revolutionary troops backed by nato airstrikes on august. protesters battle outside the greek parliament while inside the building the lawmakers passed the cutbacks that brought people onto the streets in the first place violence erupted after some demonstrators tried to prevent militant activists from attacking police lines leading to the death of one man after he was hit by a rock.