Vladimir Putin: 1972 ABM Treaty Is The Corner-stone Of International Stability

Russia keeps regarding the 1972 Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty as the corner-stone of international stability and security, Vladimir Putin told Greece's Net TV and Mega TV channels shortly before his visit to Greece. The text of the interview was handed over to RIA Novosti by the press service of the Russian president. "We base our point on a number of circumstances, but mostly on the fact that the Treaty serves as the foundation for many other agreements and pacts dealing with international security. That is exactly what worries us in the first place, and not our own security because the plans the US administration is talking about cannot jeopardize Russia's safety, at least in the next decade," noted Putin. According to the president, Russia has "accumulated enough weapons. Mind that those are weapons that could easily overpower any kind of national anti-missile defence system." Besides, "the threats we are facing today have nothing to do with intercontinental ballistic missiles, which is the only thing that calls for the aforementioned national missile system." In Putin's opinion, there is a threat that terrorists could use "other means of mass destruction, such as biological or chemical weapons, maybe some other means of mass destruction." "That is what we think we should focus our minds on. And so, if we want our actions to be effective, we must look for ways to join our efforts instead of disuniting them," said the president, who nevertheless thinks that a "positive dialogue" about anti-missile defence could be continued.