Putin Threatens Pullout From Arms Pact

President Vladimir Putin delivers the annual state of the nation address to the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament in Moscow's Kremlin Thursday, April 26, 2007. President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made his clearest rejection yet of speculation that he would try to seek a third term, but gave no hint in his state of the nation address as to whom he sees as his preferred successor. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel) (Mikhail Metzel - AP)

MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin threatened on Thursday to suspend Russia's compliance with a key European arms control treaty, accusing the United States and NATO of undermining regional stability with its plan to extend an American missile shield to central Europe.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice fired back by insisting Moscow should live up to its obligations under the treaty, which limits the number and locations of military aircraft, tanks and other non-nuclear heavy weapons around Europe. She called Russia's concerns "purely ludicrous" in a news conference at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Norway.

But Putin's annual state-of-the-nation address made clear Russia is growing increasingly mistrustful of Western intentions.

"Our partners are behaving incorrectly, to say the least," he said. "In case no progress is made during negotiations, I propose to discuss the possibility to end our obligations."

The acrimonious exchange was just the latest indication of a growing divide between the former Cold War foes. Russia's annoyance with Western criticism of its rights record, and its perception that the U.S. is dominating world affairs have also added to tensions.

Washington says the deployment of interceptor missiles and radar systems in the Czech Republic and Poland will protect Europe and North America from new threats such as nuclear programs and long-range missiles from Iran and North Korea. But Moscow argues there is no immediate threat and claims the U.S. is trying to target Russia's strategic missile arsenal.

Hours after Putin and Rice traded long-distance barbs, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added to the fire in a lengthy diatribe that recalled the language of the Cold War. He accused the U.S. and its NATO allies of upsetting the security balance in Europe, creating new dividing lines and treating Russia as an enemy.

"We cannot be unconcerned by the fact that NATO military infrastructure is creeping up to our borders," Lavrov said at a news conference after a NATO-Russia meeting in Oslo. "They are still looking for an enemy."

Like Putin, Lavrov spoke of suspending participation in the arms control treaty.

However a Kremlin spokesman said later that Russia would not pull out if it could reach accommodation with the West. And Russian military experts suggested the threat was a symbolic raising of the ante in the missile shield showdown more than a sign of impeding military escalation. Russia has no actual interest in a buildup of forces because it faces no real military threat and has no plans to launch any attack, they said.

"When we begin dialogue with our foreign partners, we hope that we will get a positive reaction from them," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told The Associated Press. If no progress is made, Russian lawyers would begin working out a mechanism of formally imposing the moratorium, he added.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Putin's threat elicited "grave concern, disappointment and regret" among NATO allies.