Vladimir V Putin

Signaling displeasure over U.S. plans for a missile defense system, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin on Wednesday described a 1972 nuclear arms treaty as the "root and trunk" of world security. Russia has said that a U.S. missile defense program would violate the Antiballistic Missile Treaty, which bans such systems under the belief that a country would not launch a nuclear strike if it were unable to protect itself against retaliation.

President Vladimir V. Putin has ordered Russian security officials to improve their performance in Chechnya in the wake of bomb attacks that have killed more than 30 people in the breakaway province. A new bomb explosion early today killed two people in the neighboring region of Dagestan, which has often seen spillover from the Chechnya conflict. Putin issued the warning to ministers and officials attending late-night talks Wednesday at a military base in the North Caucasus region.

Russian President Vladimir V. Putin told Uzbekistan's leader Islam Karimov on Friday that he looked forward to blossoming ties, a year after Uzbek troops earned international censure by firing on civilians. The European Union, meanwhile, issued a fresh call for a "credible investigation" into the bloodshed. Witnesses said hundreds were killed on May 13, 2005, including women and children, when Uzbek troops opened fire on a protest in Andijon.

President-elect Vladimir V. Putin signed the START II treaty Thursday, affirming the Russian parliament's approval of the plan to trim the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States, the presidential press service said. The treaty obligates Russia and the U.S. to slash nuclear stockpiles to 3,000 to 3,500 warheads each. It was approved last month by both chambers of parliament, ending seven years of deadlock.

President Vladimir V. Putin named his new Cabinet on Thursday, reappointing most ministers from former President Boris N. Yeltsin's government but reducing the number of ministries and government agencies. Putin also named presidential representatives to the seven administrative zones he recently carved out of the world's largest nation in an effort to solidify federal control over the regions.

Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has been told about a plot to assassinate him during a visit to Iran this week, a Kremlin spokeswoman said Sunday. The spokeswoman, who spoke on customary condition of anonymity, refused further comment. Interfax news agency, citing a source in Russia's special services, said suicide terrorists had been trained to carry out the assassination.

Borrowing from Mark Twain, President Vladimir V. Putin insisted Saturday that "reports about the death of press freedom" in Russia "are greatly exaggerated." Speaking to journalists in a Kremlin ceremony to mark Press Day, Putin insisted that press freedom is not threatened here, even as negotiations over preserving the independence of a major television channel appear to be foundering.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday that ties with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin were a risk worth taking--and Putin obliged by saying that he accepted European defense plans and was willing to discuss U.S. arms control issues. After Blair's visit, Putin said Russia stood by its insistence on maintaining the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty, but was prepared to discuss both that and the newly hatched common defense plans for Europe. Putin's opposition to U.S.

Touring a Siberian region soaked and weary after more than a week of floods, President Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday promised federal funds to help rebuild homes destroyed by surging waters. Putin also proposed that the state sell gold and high-quality diamonds from Siberia's mineral-rich Yakutia region to help finance reconstruction, Russian news agencies reported.

Russian President Vladimir V. Putin said Thursday that he would invite leaders of the militant group Hamas, who last month won a majority in the Palestinian parliament, to Moscow. Speaking through a Spanish interpreter, Putin said: "We haven't considered Hamas a terrorist organization. Today we must recognize that Hamas has reached power in Palestine as a result of legitimate elections, and we must respect the choice of the Palestinian people."