Putin says U.S. missile shield is a 'great danger'

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2016 (SPIEF 2016) in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 17, 2016. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor

(Reuters) - Russia views the U.S. missile shield in eastern Europe as a "great danger" and Moscow will be forced to respond by enhancing its missile strike capability, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. "We will perfect our missile strike capability, to preserve balance, only because of that," Putin told leaders of international media organisations at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. (Reporting by Alessandra Galloni; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Catherine Evans)