Across the World: Russia

Weapon offer

Russia will stop developing some strategic weapons if the United States drops plans for a missile shield in Europe, Interfax news agency quoted the commander of Russia's strategic missile forces as saying on Friday.

"If Americans give up plans to deploy the third positioning region and other elements of the strategic missile defense system then certainly we will adequately respond to it," said Colonel-General Nikolai Solovtsov.

"We will simply not need a number of expensive programs," he added. The US missile shield plan includes interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic.

(China Daily 12/20/2008 page11)