Russian President Vladimir Putin said here Tuesday that the planned deployment of United States anti-ballistic missile components in Europe "is turning the continent into a tinderbox."

Putin made the remarks when talking with visiting Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

He also criticized NATO members, accusing them of failing to ratify an arms control treaty in Europe although Russia has ratified it. The president has said he was suspending Russia's obligation to the treaty during his state of the nation speech last month.

"It is a question of their unwillingness to ratify the adapted Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and U.S. plans to deploy missile defense elements in Eastern Europe." Itar-Tass quoted Putin as saying.

Putin said he hoped that Russia-European relations will improve when Portugal holds the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union in the latter half of this year.

The two leaders hailed Russian-Portuguese ties and pledged to enhance economic cooperation. Bilateral trade between the two countries increased by 26 percent year on year to about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2006.

Russia tests new intercontinental missile

Russia successfully test-launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday, in the middle of a row with the United States, which plans to deploy components of its anti-ballistic missile system in central Europe.

The RS-24 missile blasted off from the Plesetsk space center about 800 km (500 miles) north of Moscow at 14:20 Moscow time (1020 GMT) and hit the target in Kamchatka, about 6,000 km away in the Far East, the Itar-Tass, Interfax and RIA news agencies reported.

When equipped with several independently targeted re-entry warheads, the missile can pierce through missile defense systems and would enhance Russia's potential nuclear deterrent when deployed, Russian strategic missile forces spokesman Vadim Koval was quoted as saying.

The United States plans to deploy missile interceptors in Poland and radar units in the Czech Republic as part of a project to extend the missile defense system in Europe. Russia has voiced strong opposition over the plan.

Editor: Yan