Russia Becomes More Aggressive Regarding Arms-Control Initiatives

CNN WORLDVIEW 18:00
April 25, 2000; Tuesday

Judy Woodruff, Andrea Koppel

HIGHLIGHT:
U.S. and Russian nuclear arms control efforts were on the agenda Tuesday, as Russia's foreign minister met with President Clinton at the White House and attended a United Nations disarmament conference.

BODY:


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JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. and Russian nuclear arms control efforts were on the agenda Tuesday, as Russia's foreign minister met with President Clinton at the White House and attended a United Nations disarmament conference.

CNN's Andrea Koppel reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Russia's foreign minister, on the offensive, repeating Moscow's mantra that the very foundation of arms control hangs in the balance. The reason, Ivanov warned, the United States wants to modify the Anti- Ballistic Missile Treaty.

IGOR IVANOV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): The collapse of the ABM Treaty of 1972 would therefore undermine the entirety of disarmament agreements concluded over the last 30 years.

KOPPEL: To drive that message home, in the last 30 days Russia's newly elected president has done what his predecessor couldn't do in seven years, President Putin persuaded the Russian Duma to ratify two arms control agreements, the Start II Nuclear Arms Reduction Treaty and another banning all nuclear testing, treaties held up in the U.S. Congress.

JOHN PIKE, FED. OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS: It makes Russia look like the good guy and it also puts the ball in America's court and is going to make it a lot more difficult for the United States to deploy a national missile defense.

KOPPEL: Difficult because Putin's government has issued a direct challenge to the United States and is working with U.S. allies in Europe to oppose national missile defense and altering the ABM treaty. And while a Russian-European alliance is unlikely, Putin's attempts to gain leverage seem to be working.

MICHAEL MCFAUL, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Part of Putin's strategy is to be friendly on arms control issues and other kind of state-to-state issues and in return for that he wants the West to get out of his own backyard, and first and foremost, Chechnya.

KOPPEL (on camera): U.S. officials say they don't know what Putin's motivation was in pushing for early ratification, but welcome Russia's response. And rather than acting ashamed for lagging behind, the U.S. says it's led the way in arms control for the last seven years.

Andrea Koppel, CNN, the State Department.