TEHRAN The United States may unilaterally withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty before reaching a deal with Russia on a new strategic framework, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced.

It was not immediately clear whether the comment, made in an interview with a U.S. television station, was meant as a signal that Washington was considering decoupling the issues of missile shield and strategic arms reductions that the U.S. and Russian presidents agreed to link at their meeting last month.

"I just got in from Moscow, having been visiting with them about that," Rumsfeld told KSDK-TV of St. Louis Missouri.

"And it's not clear what the way ahead will be," he continued, according to a transcript released by the Pentagon late Thursday. "But I suspect that we'll either have to withdraw from the treaty and then continue working with them on establishing a new relationship."

He did not say what the other options would be.

The interview aired earlier this week followed Rumsfeld's talks in Moscow on ways to prevent a rift over a U.S. plan to develop a so-called national missile defense system against threats posed by what it calls 'rogue states'.

Meanwhile, a senior official in Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Moscow was unwilling to compromise on U.S. missile plans and argued that all negotiations on the issue held so far had been futile.

"There is no use looking for signs of compromise in recent statements by the U.S. and Russian presidents, in that they were prepared to consider the issues of offensive and defense weapons together," the unnamed senior ministry official told Russia's main news agencies.

"There is no question of Russia giving up its stance on the ABM treaty," signed between Moscow and Washington in 1972 and which prevents the U.S. construction of the missile shield.

The comments came ahead of a new round of strategic defense consultations to be held in Moscow on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

The U.S. delegation will be headed by Undersecretary of State for Arms Control John Bolton.

Russia's Foreign Ministry official expressed strong disappointment with this month's visit to Moscow by U.S. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and earlier talks with U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

"The Americans have nothing meaningful to say other than that the United States and Russia are no longer enemies," the officials said.

"Neither the U.S. president, the defense minister nor the experts could explain to us why the ABM no longer suit them, or what kinds of strategic offensive weapon reduction Washington is thinking off."

The Russian source added that Moscow did not expect any "meaningful" talks on arms reductions and missile defense to begin before the start of next year.