U.S. agreements on deploying elements of its missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic provoke an arms race and do not provide for European security, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

"It is worth stressing that the deployment of the third site in Europe with genuine anti-Russian potential by no means enhances security on the continent," a statement from the ministry said. "Such measures provoke mistrust and prompt an arms race on the continent and beyond its borders."

The deal to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland was reached last Thursday and formally signed Wednesday by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

It followed the signing of an agreement on July 8 by the Rice and Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg to station a U.S. radar in the Czech Republic.

Moscow has consistently expressed its opposition to the U.S. missile shield in Europe, saying it threatens its national security. The United States says the shield is designed to thwart missile attacks by what it calls "rogue states," including Iran.

However, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said again last week that Moscow has no doubt the missile shield''s third site is aimed against Russia. The United States has sited interceptor missiles in California and Alaska to protect against possible attacks from the Pacific, particularly North Korea.