U.S. Pullout From Missile Pact a Mistake, Putin Says

Russian President Vladimir V. Putin described the U.S. government’s decision to pull out of the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty as a mistake and said it underscored the need for the two nations to sharply reduce their nuclear arsenals.

However, Putin said the Bush administration’s plans to withdraw from the treaty, which he called a cornerstone of global stability, would not affect Russian security or undermine bilateral relations.

Putin said the U.S. and Russia should each reduce their numbers of nuclear warheads to between 1,500 and 2,200--close to the levels of 1,700 to 2,200 proposed last month by President Bush. Each nation has already agreed to reduce its number of warheads to 6,000 by the end of this year.

The U.S. announcement met a chorus of disapproval among Russian politicians, including pro-Western liberals, many of whom saw the decision as a slap in the face after Moscow’s cooperation in the war on terrorism.

New tests planned by the U.S. on its proposed missile defense shield would have breached the Cold War-era pact. The ABM treaty was based on the principle of mutually assured destruction: that neither nation would launch nuclear weapons because it could not adequately defend itself against a counterattack with missiles.

Putin has often mentioned the figure of 1,500 nuclear warheads each as Russia’s preferred target, a number that reflects his country’s difficulties in maintaining a larger nuclear arsenal.

Russia’s inability to preserve the treaty is seen in hawkish military circles here as a defeat. However, Putin, who has firmly oriented Russia toward the West, remains a popular leader capable of surviving the political fallout.

Some analysts, however, warned that the U.S. move risks squandering the gains made in recent months, when relations between the two nations warmed because of their cooperation after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Despite Putin’s pledges to reduce the number of nuclear weapons, some politicians predicted Thursday that Russia will begin mounting multiple warheads on existing single-warhead missiles, underscoring how ruffled Russian officials are about the U.S. move.

Putin’s description of the ABM treaty as one of the cornerstones of global security reflected how little Russia’s position on the pact has shifted in months of negotiations with U.S. officials. Moscow rejected Bush administration efforts to persuade it to withdraw from the treaty simultaneously.

Putin said Russia could surmount a missile defense shield, so the U.S. decision would have no impact on his nation’s security.

After Bush’s announcement, Putin spoke to Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Russian officials said both backed Moscow’s opposition to the U.S. withdrawal.

The chief of Russia’s armed forces, Col. Gen. Anatoly V. Kvashnin, said the U.S. withdrawal would lead to a new arms race. Some analysts suggested that the move would free Russia from its obligations under the 1993 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty II to phase out multiple-warhead missiles. START II has been ratified by the Russian parliament, but with the stipulation that the ABM treaty continue to exist.