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By Wang Zhaokun The upper house of the Russian Parliament, the Federation Council, unanimously ratified a new nuclear arms treaty with the US Wednesday. However, Moscow also reaffirmed its message that Russia will develop its own missile defense system if the West continues plans to build such a shield in Europe without Russia's participation. Under the new treaty, Russia and the US will each slash their nuclear arsenals to a maximum of 1,550 nuclear warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200. The US Senate ratified the treaty in December, adding several amendments to the resolution on ratification, including a demand to build up US global missile defenses. Echoing scenes from the US Senate, the Russian bill also highlights the need to modernize the country's nuclear forces. Russia's approval of the new START came as Moscow and NATO were holding talks over terrorism in Brussels after Moscow's airport bombing. But the two sides remain at odds over cooperation on a missile shield for Europe. Moscow's defense chief, Anatoly Serdyukov, reassured Russian senators Wednesday that his country would deploy its own defense system if NATO failed to meet Russia's requests. "As far as our own ballistic missile defenses are concerned, we are continuing to develop them just as we have done in the past," AFP quoted Serdyukov as saying. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Wednesday welcomed Russia's ratification of the new START, which he believed is "good news for international security and stability." |
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