Russia Defence Minister Says No to US Buying Russian MissilesRussian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on Monday brusquely shrugged off a U.S. proposal to purchase Russian missiles in exchange for Moscow's consent to amending the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, saying the 1972 agreement must remain intact."If such proposals come - we have not yet received them - I am sure that they will not solve the ABM issue," Ivanov told a news conference, referring to the treaty's abbreviated name. His was the first official Russian response to reports that the Bush administration hoped to buy Moscow's agreement to Washington's withdrawal from the treaty with joint exercises, promises of military aid and possible purchase of Russian S-300 surface-to-air missiles to be integrated into a joint missile shield over Russia and Europe. A senior administration official said the package is being prepared for President Bush's meetings in June and July with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was first reported in The New York Times on Monday. Russia has already sold S-300s to many countries and could sell more, Ivanov said. But he added, "I cannot link this issue with ABM plans." The U.S. offer appeared to echo Moscow's own proposal to the European NATO members to create a shared anti-missile defense in Europe. That proposal, which Putin made in February, would envisage consultations, joint assessment of risks and the deployment of anti-missile defenses as a last resort. Russian military officials at the time mentioned the S-300 and the brand-new S-400 as possible components of such a system. The ABM treaty prohibits a nationwide defense against ballistic missiles, and the U.S. administration has tried unsuccessfully to persuade Moscow to amend the treaty to allow Washington to develop a limited missile defense system. |
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