The West’s deteriorating relations with Moscow were plunged into deep freeze yesterday when the United States and Poland sealed a deal that will place a key part of Washington’s “Son of Star Wars” anti-missile system on Polish soil. Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, flew to Poland from the Nato meeting that condemned Russia’s military presence in Georgia to sign the agreement with Radoslaw Sikorski, the Polish Foreign Minister.

It will lead to the installation of ten interceptors in silos capable of destroying hostile ballistic missiles.

Russia reacted with fury, saying that the missile shield was aimed at weakening its defences. “Russia in this case will have to react, and not only through diplomatic protests,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Norway’s Defence Ministry said that it had been informed by the Kremlin that Russia was cutting all military ties with Nato.

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Iran is key to the whole anti-missile structure devised by the US, and now helped on its way by Poland

Michael Evans

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Moscow has claimed that the proposed siting of American interceptors close to its borders is aimed at undermining Russia’s nuclear weapons arsenal and that the timing of the agreement with Warsaw, so soon after the conflict in Georgia, provided the final proof.

The crisis in Georgia threatened to spiral into a fresh confrontation yesterday when its breakaway northwestern region of Abkhazia appealed to Russia to recognise its independence.

With the US and Europe complaining that Russian troops were still not withdrawing from Georgia, the Abkhaz parliament urged President Medvedev of Russia to support its independence and maintain a military presence in the province.

In a sign that a carefully scripted process was under way Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, also called an emergency session for Monday to discuss recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia — where the current conflict began — as independent states.

Any Kremlin move to recognise the independence of the regions would trigger condemnation from the West, which has insisted repeatedly on Georgia’s territorial integrity.

After yesterday’s signing ceremony in Poland Dr Rice said that there was no evidence that Russian troops had begun to withdraw from Georgia. Russian troops and tanks continued to occupy the town of Gori and to man checkpoints on the main road leading to Tbilisi, the capital.

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, accused Russia on a visit to Tbilisi of “not living up to its word”.

Mr Medvedev said that all but 500 soldiers would leave Georgia by Friday, although Russia insists it will patrol a buffer zone of Georgian territory 7km (4 miles) beyond the border of South Ossetia.

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