WARSAW - The US missile defense base in Redzikowo, northern Poland, is strictly defensive, a Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said on Thursday.

The remarks came in response to criticism from Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who claimed the new missile defense base in Redzikowo will lead to an increase in the overall level of nuclear danger.

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Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski dismissed these claims, stating that Russia's threats are based on incorrect assumptions and claims that the base houses nuclear weapons, "which is absurd", according to the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

Opened last week, the Redzikowo base, known as "Aegis Ashore," is a key part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) missile defense system. Designed to detect and intercept short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles, the base operates under NATO and US European Command.