A former Czech prime minister condemned on Monday the United States' plans to place anti-missile radars in the Czech Republic as a "useless provocation" of Russia, according to media reports.
"The true objective of this radar base is to aim at Russia" and notably to monitor their ballistic missile tests, Milos Zeman said, cited by CTK agency.
Russia has vehemently opposed the whole idea, also claiming that the US system is aimed at them.
Washington wants to use the Czech radar and interceptor missiles in Poland to guard against possible missile attacks from rogue states, such as Iran.
Zeman, known for being outspoken while in office from 1998 to 2002, described these arguments as "idiotic".
The Czech Republic has already given the green light in principle to the US project in spite of public opposition and Russia's protests.
Newly-elected Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, however, indicated on Friday that Warsaw would consult with Russia on this delicate matter.
The diplomatic and military negotiations are currently underway, but parliament will need to approve the deployment of the radar, which is proposed to sit in the foothills of Brdy, 65 kilometres (40 miles) from Prague.
