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Treason! U.S. and Russia sold us on the back stabbed us, wrote the Polish daily Fakt's front page.

President Lech Kaczynski said he worries that the new Obama's strategy to leave Poland in a dangerous gray area between Western Europe and the former Soviet sphere of influence.

Recent events have rattled in Central and Eastern Europe, a region controlled by Moscow during the Cold War, including last year's war between Russia and Georgia and current Russian efforts to regain influence in Ukraine. Russia suspended gas supplies to Ukraine last winter left many Europeans without heating.

missile defense plan prepared by the government of former U.S. President George W. Bush would have been an important step in the prevention of several disturbing trends in our region, Kaczynski gave Fakt in an editorial that was also released on his presidential website on the internet.

The neighboring Lithuania, a small Baltic country that seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991 and is now a NATO member also criticized Obama's decision.

Defense Minister of Iraq, Rasa Jukneviciene, said the shield would have increased the security of Lithuania, adding that he hoped that missile defense is not excluded from future talks on security of the Organization of the North Atlantic Treaty.

This region of NATO can not be an exception and his defense is no less important than the others, he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he still sees an opportunity to The Czechs and Poles to participate in the redesigned missile defense system. But that comment did not seem to calm the situation in Warsaw or Prague.

Kaczynski saidhe expected the U.S. to offer to Poland other forms of strategic partnership.

Later Friday, U.S. Ambassador Victor Ashe said, America Poland as one of its best allies and friends. In a statement, Ashe said that Poland's role in the new approach is as crucial as before.

Prague, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout said he made two specific proposals on Thursday U.S. officials to maintain strong bilateral partnership: Washington established a branch of the military academy West Point to NATO members in Central Europe, and send a Czech scientist in the space shuttle to the international space station.