MOSCOW, June 20 (UPI) -- Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., the chairman of the Budget Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, has said the global ballistic missile threat has been decreasing during the last 20 years.

MOSCOW, June 17 (UPI) -- Summer has just begun, and the Americans have not yet started the scheduled two comprehensive tests of their missile defense system. However, Russian politicians and military leaders have already started talking about adverse consequences of its deployment.

MOSCOW, June 13 (UPI) -- There is one contradiction in the rhetoric of Russian military leaders. For more than two years, they have been saying that Russia's strategic interests will be threatened if the United States deploys missile defense elements in Europe or elsewhere.

WASHINGTON, June 4 (UPI) -- The Kremlin will withdraw its offer to allow the United States to jointly operate with Russia radar stations for ballistic missile defense in southern Russia and Azerbaijan if Washington pushes ahead with deploying missile defense systems against ICBMs in Central Europe, a senior Russian general said last week.

MOSCOW, May 27 (UPI) -- Joint use of radar stations will be ruled out if the United States continues to deploy missiles in central Europe, Russian defense ministry officials said.

MOSCOW, July 18 (UPI) -- The United States reportedly hasn't responded to Russia's request that the countries hammer out a simpler version of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.