U.S., Russia Near Understanding on Strategic Arms

Returning from meetings in Washington, Russian Foreign Minister Igor S. Ivanov said Friday that progress has been made toward a strategic-weapons understanding with the United States but that it is too early to suggest that an accord is about to be signed.

Ivanov said “complicated consultations on offensive and defensive strategic weapons are currently being held.” It is premature “to speak about any agreements,” he said.

The foreign minister was in Washington for talks with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell about a new strategic framework between the two countries. The meetings were held in preparation for the summit planned for Nov. 13-15 between President Bush and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in the United States.

Speaking to reporters at the Kremlin, Ivanov denied that the summit is intended to lead to a formal agreement. “The question of the signing of a broad agreement on strategic stability is not on the agenda,” he said.

Intense, high-level contacts were set to continue today in Moscow during a one-day visit by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

The Itar-Tass news agency said Rumsfeld and Russian officials would discuss relations between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and missile technology, and the war against terrorists.

Ivanov seemed to confirm after his talks in Washington that the United States was now willing to agree to sharp, jointly negotiated reductions in offensive nuclear weapons.

“Nevertheless, additional work is needed on the key group of problems pertaining to strategic stability, including the ABM Treaty,” he said.

The United States has warned that it might withdraw from the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty to pursue its vision of a national missile defense system to shield America from an attack by terrorists or a “rogue” state. Russia has strongly defended the treaty as the key to all nuclear accords between the two countries.

But in recent days, the outline of a possible compromise has emerged in which the United States could carry out initial testing for the missile defense system without Russia treating it as a violation of the ABM treaty.

At the same time, the United States and Russia would work to significantly cut the number of their offensive nuclear weapons to about 2,000. The United States now has about 7,000 deployed nuclear warheads, and Russia has about 6,000.

Speaking to reporters aboard his Air Force jetliner on the way to Moscow, Rumsfeld said the administration has not softened its determination to eventually deploy an antimissile system.

“We are going to find a way to do it,” he said, noting that Bush pledged to do so during his election campaign last year. But he said the administration hopes to avoid an open breach of the ABM treaty.

In addition to the arms issues, the two sides are interested in improving their overall relationship, Ivanov said. Outwardly, relations have already warmed considerably since Russia agreed to cooperate with the United States against terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks.

“The summit will accelerate the groundwork process of forging genuine partnership,” Ivanov said.

Later today, Rumsfeld will hold talks with officials of Tajikistan in the capital, Dushanbe. On Sunday he will visit Uzbekistan and Pakistan. He will visit India and Italy on Monday before returning to Washington.

*

Times staff writer Norman Kempster in Washington contributed to this report.