Russia Warns U.S. on Missile Pact

MOSCOW – Maintaining a tough stance in the run-up to a U.S.-Russian summit, Russia's defense minister warned Washington on Tuesday that its withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty would shatter the entire system of arms control agreements.

``If we assume that the ABM Treaty loses force, it's logical to assume that the subsequent treaties that were based on it will also lose force,'' Sergei Ivanov told reporters after meeting with visiting Canadian Defense Minister Art Eggleton.

``That means we will enter a phase of total unpredictability in the sphere of global security,'' he added.