Russia Suspends Arms Pact, Citing U.S. Missile Plan

MOSCOW, July 14 — President Vladimir V. Putin formally notified NATO governments on Saturday that Russia will suspend its obligations under the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, a key Cold War-era arms limitation agreement, in response to American plans to deploy a missile shield in Eastern Europe.

The decision ratcheted up tensions over United States plans for a missile shield, which Russia opposes, but also reflected an escalating trend of anti-Americanism and deep suspicion toward the West in Russia’s domestic politics ahead of presidential elections here next March.

Russia’s suspension will take effect in 150 days, according to a copy of the president’s decree posted on a Kremlin Web site. That delay leaves open the possibility of further negotiation on the 1990 treaty, which resulted in a huge wave of disarmament along the former East-West divide in Europe.

Despite a Foreign Ministry statement that from now on Russia would reject any limitations on redeploying heavy weaponry on its Western border, the Kremlin’s move is not expected to radically transform the security situation on the continent. But the decision is a strong indicator that the smiles and warm embraces between Presidents Bush and Putin just a few weekends ago at the so-called “lobster summit” in Maine did little to soften the Kremlin, in particular its pique over proposals to build two American missile defense bases in former Soviet satellite states, Poland and the Czech Republic.

So on Saturday, Mr. Putin reached for a powerful diplomatic tool to fend off what he has described as American bullying and NATO and European encirclement, both economic and military, that the Kremlin believes encroaches into a Russian sphere of influence.

White House officials expressed immediate disappointment after the announcement from Moscow, but pledged to continue to meet with their Russian counterparts to resolve the dispute.

“We’re disappointed Russia has suspended its participation for now, but we’ll continue to have discussions with them in the coming months on the best way to proceed in this area, that is in the interest of all parties involved and provides for security in Europe,” said Gordon D. Johndroe, the National Security Council spokesman.

Critics of the United States’ handling of relations with Russia have warned that the Bush administration was creating an environment in which the Putin government, emboldened by a flood of oil dollars and seeking to re-establish its status in the world, could pick and choose among its treaty obligations. After all, the Bush administration has put less stock in official treaty relations than many predecessors. And under Mr. Bush, the United States pulled out of the Antiballistic Missile Treaty so it could pursue the goal of a global antimissile shield, the exact effort that has so angered Mr. Putin and his inner circle.

Indeed, the Saturday announcement from Moscow was not much of a surprise, given Mr. Putin’s earlier warnings. And Bush administration officials routinely point to other significant areas of cooperation — on halting nuclear proliferation, on battling terrorism and combating drug traffic — so White House officials reject assessments that relations with Russia are on the point of rupturing.

But while the Saturday announcement was, at least, unsettling to officials in Washington and in NATO capitals, senior policy analysts said the Kremlin decision on the conventional forces treaty is likely to only further strengthen the position of Mr. Putin’s leadership clique among Russian voters, who are scheduled to go to the polls next spring to choose a new president.

Mr. Putin’s decree explained the decision to indefinitely suspend Russia’s treaty obligations as caused by “extraordinary circumstances” that “affect the security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures.”

A separate statement by the Foreign Ministry identified these circumstances as unrelated to the missile shield plans — though Mr. Putin has linked the issues in previous speeches.

The statement said NATO plans to open bases and deploy troops in former East Bloc nations prompted the suspension, because this left NATO itself in violation of the C.F.E. treaty by exceeding force limits in Eastern Europe, a charge the alliance denies. The ministry also cited the unwillingness of NATO governments to ratify amendments to the treaty that allowed Russia a larger force deployment in the south during the war in Chechnya, in exchange for withdrawing troops from Georgia and Moldova.