"We are prepared to discuss this theme with the United States, but under a number of conditions," the Russian news agencies quoted Ivanov as saying during a stopover in Hawaii.

These conditions include a guarantee that the fruits of the US-Russian cooperation "would not be directed against each other" and assurances of "the preservation of each side's intellectual property, the demilitarization of space and total transparency regarding missile defense" between Moscow and Washington, the Russian Defense Minister added.

Ivanov left Malaysia Tuesday at the end of a three-day visit and was headed for the United States, where he is to meet with top US officials.

Ivanov last January said that Russia was prepared to cooperate with the United States in the joint construction of a missile defense shield "step by step."

Washington last year ditched the cornerstone 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty in order to build a missile shield.

US President George W. Bush in December announced plans to deploy a limited missile shield by 2004 that would include 10 ground-based interceptor missiles at Fort Greeley in Alaska.

Such a system is far too small to test Russia's massive nuclear stockpile but Moscow fears Washington would expand the shield over the coming years and -- with Russia too poor to replenish its ageing missile arsenal -- could one day nullify its nuclear threat.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual state-of-the-nation address Friday that Russia would soon introduce a new generation of "strategic arms," without providing further details.