Putin: Russian rockets will target Europeam sites

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in an interview published today that US plans to build a missile defence system in Eastern Europe would force Moscow to target its weapons against sites in Europe.

The threat, voiced in an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera and other foreign media, marked one of Putin's most strident statements to date against the US plans and came just days before the Russian president is to join other leaders at a Group of Eight summit in Germany.