Russian Premier Cancels U.S. Trip in High-Tech Arms Sales Dispute

Russian Prime Minister Viktor S. Chernomyrdin has called off a trip to the United States two days before it was scheduled to start because of conflict with Washington over a planned sale of Russian rocket technology to India, officials said Thursday.

The standoff over Russia’s exports of sophisticated military equipment was the most recent, and most acrimonious, of a series of new policy disagreements between Moscow and Washington--from how to end the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina to control of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Chernomyrdin was to have arrived Saturday to meet with Vice President Al Gore in the first high-level visit of a Russian to Washington since President Clinton took office. U.S. and Russian officials said they had long looked forward to the talks, which were to focus on cooperation in space technology, energy and environmental protection as well as Russia’s overall economic reforms.

But earlier this week, U.S. officials said the meeting could not take place if Russia forged ahead with plans to export missile technology to such nations as India, Libya and China.

Publicly, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Shokhin said the visit was postponed due to “technical reasons.” Chernomyrdin, on a visit to Kiev, avoided questions about the aborted trip. U.S. officials in Washington also sought to put the best face on the abrupt cancellation, saying the meeting had been postponed “at the agreement of both governments.”

Privately, however, Russian officials expressed irritation at what they see as America’s desire to shut a competitor out of the lucrative arms sales market at a time when Russia desperately needs cash.

“I understand that right now we’re weak and we’re not in the position to be a real superpower as we were 10 years ago,” a Foreign Ministry official said. “But we’re being pushed around.”

White House spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers said the dispute will not affect the Clinton Administration’s commitment to press ahead with plans for increased U.S. and Western aid for Russia.

“We’re going to move forward with Russian aid,” she said. “And we’re going to move forward with preparations for discussions with President (Boris N.) Yeltsin” when he meets with President Clinton after the summit of major industrial powers in Tokyo next month.

Washington objects to Moscow’s proposed $350-million sale of liquid-fuel rocket stages to India, which buys about $1 billion worth of Russian military technology annually and has already given Russia an $80-million down payment on the rocketry.

Although the Indians say the rockets will be used to launch weather and communications satellites, U.S. officials fear they could be modified to carry warheads. Russian officials say military use is not possible in practice and reject the U.S. claim that the sale would violate agreements against the spread of nuclear weaponry.

“From our point of view, the real reason the U.S. is upset about it is India could have bought U.S. rockets instead,” the Foreign Ministry official said.

Russian officials have long argued that Russia must export arms to pay for the conversion of factories to peacetime industries.

Efron reported from Moscow and McManus from Washington.