http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/10/19/011.html
Friday, October 19, 2007. Issue 3768. Page 3.
Putin Promises New Nuclear Missiles
By Simon Saradzhyan
Staff Writer
Alexander Babenko / Itar-Tass
A Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile being moved Thursday to the
Plesetsk Cosmodrome to be test-fired.
President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that the defense industry was
developing new nuclear weapons as part of a "grandiose but fully realistic"
plan to rearm the military.
"We will develop missile technology, including completely new strategic
complexes," he said during a televised call-in show.
"Our plans are not simply considerable, but grandiose. At the same time, they
are absolutely realistic," he said. "Our armed forces will be more compact but
more effective and better able to ensure the defense of Russia."
The clearly populist remarks were worded in a way that the public could easily
understand. But the message also appeared to be aimed at the United States,
which is determined to build a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe,
despite Russia's objections.
Putin also took a question on U.S. missile defense during the call-in show,
vowing that the armed forces would respond if the plans went forward.
"If these decisions are made without factoring in the interests of the Russian
Federation, we will take steps to ensure our security," he said.
The military's General Staff is preparing the response, he said in answer to a
question from an officer who participated in the testing of an intercontinental
ballistic missile earlier Thursday.
The Topol-M, the nation's newest intercontinental ballistic missile, was fired
from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia and flew across the country to
hit a target on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Senior Russian and U.S. officials have met repeatedly to try to resolve
differences over the U.S. missile defense plans. Russia has expressed concern
that the shield might be used to target its intercontinental ballistic
missiles. Washington says it would only monitor and intercept missile launches
from Iran and North Korea.
Putin met with the U.S. secretaries of state and defense last week to discuss
the issue again, and initial reports indicated no progress. But Putin said
Thursday that the two sides had edged closer to a compromise.
"The latest contacts with our American colleagues show that they have indeed
given some thought to the proposals we made, and they are looking for a
solution to the problems and for ways to ease our concerns," he said.
The Financial Times reported Thursday that the United States had offered to
scale back its missile defense plans if Iran halts its nuclear program. The
report, citing senior U.S. officials at a meeting of NATO governments
Wednesday, said visiting U.S. officials told Putin about the offer last week in
an effort to convince him to put pressure on Iran. Putin visited Teheran on
Monday and Tuesday.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, said Wednesday that Putin had
carried a "special message" that included the nuclear issue in talks with
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But on Thursday, Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied that Putin had discussed any such
trade-off during his visit.
During his call-in show, Putin also promised upgrades for the naval and air
components of the country's strategic nuclear triad, including for Tu-95 and
Tu-160 long-range bombers. He said conventional forces would be beefed up as
well, with the commissioning of a much-delayed fifth-generation jet fighter in
2012 as part of a rearmament program that will be completed by 2015.
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