The United States will not deploy any components of its missile shield in Hungary, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters in Budapest on Wednesday.

Brigadier General Patrick J. O'Reilly, deputy director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, said the billion-dollar missile shield program will include projects in Poland and the Czech Republic, while Hungary will not be part of it.

O'Reilly also informed Hungarian senior officials of the latest development of the program, saying it would take three and half years for the United States to establish the related facilities at an estimated cost of 2.5 billion dollars.

He reiterated that Washington will cooperate and consult with Russia on the deployment, adding that Russia's concern on the shield plan is totally unfounded.

The U.S. missile shield plan comprises a radar system in the Czech Republic and interceptor rockets in Poland, which Washington said is needed to protect itself and its European allies from missile attacks by Iran or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Source: Xinhua