Putin warns Washington over missile shield

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday warned the United States that his country could take retaliatory measures if Washington failed to take heed of its concerns over a missile defence shield in Europe.

"I can assure you that such steps are being prepared and we will take them. Where we should station what, that is for specialists of the Russian military's general staff," Mr Putin said in response to a question about how to respond to the shield.

The United States plans to place interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic as part of a shield Washington says is needed to counter possible attacks from "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea.

Russia says the shield is a threat to its security and could spark an arms race, concerns US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates sought to ease in Moscow talks last week. Mr Putin welcomed their efforts.

"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," Mr Putin said.

The Kremlin leader also said Russia was working on new types of nuclear weapons as part of a "grandiose" plan to boost the country's defences.

Military experts have speculated that Russia could eventually deploy its new Iskander-M tactical missiles to counter the US missile shield.

Mr Putin yesterday also called for a powerful Parliament and unchanged policies after he leaves the Kremlin, hinting he may go on to use a power base in Parliament to dominate the country.