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MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin called the U.S.
decision to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty a
``mistake'' Thursday, but said it would pose no military threat
to Russia.
In a nationwide television address, Putin repeated Russia's frequently
stated position that the 1972 treaty is a cornerstone of world
security.
``This step was not a surprise for us. However, we consider it
a mistake,'' Putin said. ``Now, when the world has confronted
new threats, we must not allow a legal vacuum in the sphere of
strategic stability.''
President Bush gave Moscow formal notice on Thursday that Washington
was
withdrawing from the treaty. The decision comes into effect in
six months.
Washington has long tried to persuade Russia to modify the treaty,
which prohibits national missile defense systems. Despite a marked
improvement in U.S.-Russian relations in the wake of the Sept.
11 attacks on the United States, Moscow has refused to budge.
Putin said Russia's own security would not threatened by the
withdrawal.
``Russia, like the United States and unlike other nuclear powers,
has long had an effective system capable of penetrating missile
defense,'' he said.
However, other nations, including China, may feel less secure.
Chinese officials have warned that their country may respond by
increasing the number of its nuclear warheads.
Putin discussed the ABM treaty on Thursday with Chinese President
Jiang Zemin, the Kremlin said. The two leaders emphasized the
need for further cooperation to preserve stability in the world,
Putin's press service said in a statement.
Putin also spoke to Indian Prime Minister Bihari Vajpayee, who
expressed support for Russia's position, the Kremlin said.
In his speech, Putin said Russia was ready to make further cuts
in its nuclear arsenal. Many observers predicted Russia would
respond in the opposite way - by building up its nuclear capacity.
Last month, Bush said the United States would reduce the number
of its nuclear warheads by two-thirds to between 1,700 and 2,200.
Putin said Thursday that Russia was ready to bring the number
of its warheads down to between 1,500 and 2,200. He pushed for
these cuts to be written into a formal treaty, something Bush
has opposed.
Russia has long held that scrapping the ABM treaty would cause
the whole edifice of arms control treaties to crumble. But Bush
contends that the treaty is a relic of the Cold War and a roadblock
to mounting a U.S. defense against missile attack.
Dmitry Rogozin, chairman of parliament's international affairs
committee, said the ABM withdrawal would ``untie Russia's hands''
with respect to earlier arms control treaties.
Other lawmakers said the move was an insult, coming as it did
against a backdrop of improved relations.
``The U.S. decision doesn't look right at the time when our two
nations have become close partners in the coalition against terror,''
said Grigory Yavlinsky, the leader of the liberal Yabloko party.
Putin said the good relations between the two countries must
be preserved and ``used to work out a new framework of strategic
relations as soon as possible.''
See also:
The
ABM Treaty
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