The allegation is contained in a document released by the U.S. delegation to a disarmament conference in Geneva.

"We think it necessary to note that there is no such provision in the aforementioned joint statement," Russian Foreign Ministry representative Alexander Yakovenko has said in a statement obtained by Interfax on Thursday. Nor is there is any such a provision "in any other joint documents adopted by the presidents of Russia and the U.S.," he said.

"The U.S. knows very well that Russia has not conducted and does not intend to conduct any negotiations with the U.S. on changing the ABM Treaty for the purpose of adapting it to the U.S. national ABM system," Yakovenko said.

"Such an adaptation is not at all possible: the central provision of the ABM Treaty is a ban on the deployment of ABM systems on a country's territory, and the creation of a basis for providing such a defense or any other change to this provision would deprive the Treaty of its very meaning," he said.

"In the dialogue with the U.S. on START and ABM issues we have more than once pointed out and are continuing to point out the harmful consequences that the destruction of the ABM Treaty would have for disarmament and strategic stability," he said.

"One would like to hope that the distortion of the documents adopted by the presidents of both countries is unintentional - it does not help achieve constructive goals," the Russian Foreign Ministry representative said.

Yakovenko called on the U.S. "to concentrate on positive joint work aimed at ensuring international security and strategic stability while preserving and strengthening the ABM Treaty as stipulated in the joint statements by the Russian and U.S. presidents."

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