Friday, June 15, 2012

Putin assails missile shield before Obama meeting

By Vladimir Soldatkin

KORENOVSK, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday promised an "appropriate reaction" to U.S.-backed missile defence plans for Europe ahead of his first meeting with President Barack Obama since his return to the Kremlin last month.

In a series of remarks at an air base in southern Russia, Putin, who is also commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces, set out his by now familiar opposition to the missile plans, complaining they risked undermining Russia's own nuclear deterrent.

"It would be better if our partners did not do this, because actions that could lead to the devaluation of our strategic nuclear capability will unavoidably provoke an appropriate reaction," he said.

"Whatever you call it, this has some elements of an arms race."

The issue is one of the main irritants to U.S.-Russia relations.

Moscow says the interceptors that the United States and NATO are deploying as part of the system will be able to destroy its own warheads in flight by about 2018, upsetting the post-Cold War balance of power.

But Washington insists the system - which is to be deployed in four phases by about 2020 - is intended to counter a potential threat from Iran and poses no risk to Russia.

Putin, who avoided a Group of Eight summit in the United States last month and is to hold his first meeting with Obama as president early next week at a G20 meeting in Mexico, on Thursday also ordered the military to speed up the development of a new strategic bomber aircraft.

The bomber would replace the Cold War-era Tu-160 and Tu-95 aircraft.

"I know how complicated and costly it is but we need to start doing it. If we do not start, we can lose time," said Putin, who inspected a line of helicopters and met officers in a tent in blistering heat.

He said Russia would spend four trillion roubles ($123 billion) upgrading its air force in the next eight years, part of a 20-trillion-rouble-plan ($614 billion) to modernise the military.

Seventy percent of existing planes in the air force would be replaced by 2020, he added.

($1 = 32.5960 Russian roubles)

(Additional reporting by Gleb Bryanski; Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

News

Friday, June 15, 2012

Putin assails missile shield before Obama meeting

By Vladimir Soldatkin