Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov did not mention the United States by name, but his comments came in connection with the release of a government report that also appeared to criticize Washington for its stance on nonproliferation issues.

"In recent years we have been witness to how the approach of certain countries (to) solving the problem of fighting the spread of WMDs has taken on a more political character," Ivanov told a news conference.

"A distinct chilling is taking place," Ivanov said, citing issues including the deployment of weapons in space and biological weapons. Russia has frequently criticized the United States over its possible use of space weapons and has said Washington is scuttling efforts to strengthen the international biological weapons treaty.