The United States launched a ground-based missile defense system earlier this month in Romania. NATO, which operates the missile defense system, said the missiles could not be used offensively as they don't include explosives and are designed to simply "punch" targets out of the sky. Story highlights U.S. and NATO say missile defense system is to defend against IranPutin must be taken seriously, military analyst says(CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia will retaliate against the placement of U.S. missiles in nearby countries such as Romania, according to Russia's state-run news agency TASS. The system is meant to defend Europe against rogue states like Iran and not intended to target Moscow's missiles, Washington has said. Putin issued his threat during a news conference Friday after meeting with Greek Prime Minister Aleksis Tsipras in Athens.

Source: CNN May 28, 2016 18:45 UTC