Putin asks for US information on its defence system

Taiwan's News.Net
Tuesday 29th December, 2009

Vladimir Putin has urged the US to provide more information about its missile defence capabilities.

The Russian prime minister has said that more information from the United States would help Russia develop its own offensive and defensive weapons systems.

Putin said Russia was entitled to the information as part of a nuclear knowledge exchange under a new arms treaty. The previous treaty expired on December 5th.

Mr Putin said Russia wants access to more information on US missile defence plans in order for Russia to decide what it needs in the way of a retaliatory defence system.

He said the issues of missile defence and offensive weapons are closely linked and that Russia should know about US capabilities so Russia can build its own effective anti-missile defence.

There could be a danger, he said, that having established an umbrella against Russia's offensive strike systems, America may come to feel completely safe, with the nuclear balance being completely disrupted.

He claimed that America could then do whatever it wanted and its aggressiveness would grow.

Mr Putin added that plans for a US missile defence system are also hindering talks on a new nuclear arms reduction treaty.

Russia and the United States are currently struggling to find a replacement for the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty which expired in early December.

The 1991 treaty led to the biggest reduction in nuclear weapons in history.

Earlier this month, President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia would continue to develop new warheads, delivery vehicles and launchers, describing it as routine practice.

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