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By Guy Faulconbridge
Reuters
Thursday, December 24, 2009; 8:57 AM MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will work on a new generation of atomic
weapons to strengthen its nuclear deterrent, President Dmitry Medvedev
said on Thursday, just hours after Moscow test-fired one of its most
feared missiles.
Medvedev said that Russia and the United States were close to a landmark
deal on cutting arsenals of Cold War nuclear weapons, but that Moscow
would still push ahead with the development of new strategic offensive
weapons. "Of course, we will develop new systems, including delivery systems,
that is, missiles," Medvedev told the directors of Russia's three main
state-controlled television channels. Medvedev said Washington and Moscow had agreed most of the remaining
issues for a deal to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
(START I), which led to the biggest reduction in nuclear weapons in history. "Despite the fact that we will prepare and sign this treaty, we will
nevertheless develop our strategic offensive forces because without this
there is no way to defend our country," Medvedev said, several hours
after the armed forces test-fired a nuclear capable missile. The new missiles would be developed in full accordance with arms
agreements made with the United States, he said. The Kremlin chief said U.S. President Barack Obama's idea for a
nuclear-free world was "beautiful and right" but cautioned that it would
take time. "SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP" The Kremlin chief said he had a "special relationship" with Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin, who many Russians believe is still the
country's paramount leader, though he struck a wistful tone when asked
about his role, lamenting a lack of freedom. "It is a simple question -- of course freedom and free time," said
Medvedev, who in May will mark the mid-term of his presidency after
nearly two years of speculation that Putin may one day return as president. "The life of the first person, of the top leaders, is an array of limits
and the saddest thing is that you only feel them at the moment when you
start this work," he said. The interview, lasting 1 hour 21 minutes, contrasted sharply with
Putin's confident 4-hour televised question-and-answer session with the
Russian people on Dec 3, when he ruled out leaving politics and hinted
he could run in 2012 presidential elections. Putin presided over Russia's longest economic boom in a generation while
president, although Russia was hammered by the economic crisis half a
year after he left office in May 2008. Medvedev said the crisis had shown the vulnerability of Russia's
economy, which he said had contracted by at least 8.7 percent in 2009,
the worst performance in 14 years. "The exit from the crisis will be fairly slow," Medvedev said, adding
that growth could total 2.5 to 5.0 percent in 2010. "We still have an economic system which is based on the energy market,"
he said. "Without modernization, our economy has no future even though
it relies on huge natural riches." (Reporting by Toni Vorobyova and Gleb Bryanski, writing by Guy
Faulconbridge, editing by Philippa Fletcher and Robin Pomeroy)
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