ABCNEWS.com

W A S H I N G T O N, — Moscow warned the United States on Monday not to build a national missile defense system, warning Washington it has enough weapons to overwhelm any anti-ballistic missile system. It also threatened to deploy more atomic warheads if Washington goes through with a system. In a story from Moscow, The Washington Post quoted Nikolai Mikhailov, first deputy defense minister, as saying that Russia’s arsenal has such “technical capabilities” to “overcome” any antimissile defenses. “This technology can realistically be used and will be used if the United States pushes us toward it,” Mikhailov said, according to the Interfax news agency.

Fear of a New Arms Race

His comments followed last week’s meeting between Russian and U.S. officials to discuss possible amendments to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM). Russia is vehemently opposed to U.S. efforts to renegotiate the treaty, which prevents both countries from building national systems that would be able to stop missile attacks. Russia, which doesn’t have the money to build a similar system, says the amendments will lead to a new arms race. “If the United States violates the 1972 ABM treaty ... Russia can unequivocally defend itself by improving its weaponry,” Mikhailov said. Washington is trying to amend the treaty to permit it to build a limited defense against any attack on the United States or on U.S. troops stationed abroad by what it regards as “rogue states” such as North Korea or Iran. It admits it wouldn’t be able to guard against a Russian attack.

Russia Lagging

Russia on Friday said talks with the United States on strategic arms cuts would become pointless if the landmark ABM treaty was altered — a move Washington has been pressing for. The Clinton administration has said it will decide next summer whether to go ahead with a limited missile defense system, which would require changing or abandoning the treaty, but Russian officials have warned that such a move could unravel two decades of arms control efforts. Russia’s key method of trying to overcome any missile defenses would be to deploy more nuclear warheads atop its missiles, in the calculation that it could outnumber and penetrate any defensive shield, the Post said. Mikhailov gave few specifics, but said Russia could target any ABM facility with a nuclear warhead. Speaking to Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Mikhailov also said that Russia lacks resources for an up-to-date conventional military force. Referring to the high-tech weaponry that NATO deployed in last spring’s bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, he said such advanced weapons make up only 30 percent of Russia’s armed forces, compared with 80 percent in the West. “This will cost us dearly,” he said. “We will not catch up to Western countries in 10 or 15 years,” the paper quoted him as saying.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.