Moscow, October 20 Russia has expressed concern over the reported deployment of US missile interceptors in Britain, saying it would be ‘‘a new alarming step’’ towards escalating the deployment of the US missile defence system.

‘‘We possess no official information on that score. But if such a joint decision of the United States and Britain did take place, it would represent an alarming new step towards an escalated deployment of the US missile defence system,’’ a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said, commenting on the report in a section of the British press, that Prime Minister Tony Blair has given a secret consent to US President George W. Bush to deploy US missile interceptors at the RAF Fylingdales radar base in North Yorkshire.

‘‘This kind of step would have to be viewed in relation to other elements of a US plan to deploy missile defence components in Europe—to station a group of ground-based long-range interceptor missiles and a missile defence radar station within certain East European countries and to upgrade the radar stations in Greenland and in Britain for missile defence purposes,’’ the statement pointed out.

‘‘So this involves setting up already two new missile defence bases outside the US national territory, which by virtue of their geographical position, can pose a threat to Russia’s nuclear deterrence capability,’’ the statement stressed. The statement said that although the US gave Russia assurances that the missile defence system now being established—together with its foreign bases—was not aimed at Russia, the questioned remained about how that ‘‘not being aimed” will be provided and assured.