[Russian President, Viladimir Putin. Read photo caption below].

MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said he and President Bush reached a ``very high level'' of trust during their weekend summit, but warned that Russia would strengthen its nuclear arsenal if the United States developed missile defenses that undermined key security treaties.
In a 21/2-hour interview Monday night with American reporters in the wood-paneled Kremlin library, Putin said Bush was a ``very attentive listener'' during the meeting in Slovenia. Putin said he was pleased America no longer considered Russia an enemy.
The mini-summit was the first between Bush and Putin, and the meeting the Kremlin had arduously pursued was a prize for Putin. The globe-trotting Russian leader had visited China just before Slovenia and made lightning stops in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and in Kosovo on his way home.
Putin revealed publicly for the first time that he had passed on a message from Chinese President Jiang Zemin to Bush saying his country was ready to put the April downing of a U.S. reconnaissance plane by the Chinese military behind them.
While acknowledging that Russia is not an equal partner in its relationship with the United States, Putin seemed confident and optimistic about Russia's future and pleased by Bush's assessment that he was a man who could be trusted.
``It seemed to me the words that we said during the press conference were not just formal statements,'' Putin said. ``They indeed reflected a very high level of trust between the two of us. I must say that the president is a nice person to talk to.''
Putin said he and Bush agreed to work together to identify security threats. The United States has cited so-called rogue states such as North Korea as the reason for wanting to change the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty to allow for a missile shield Russia opposes.
Specialists, Putin said, had been assigned to analyze possible threats and how the treaty might affect efforts to counter them. But he was clear that Russia didn't see the same threats as the United States does.
``Here we do not have a common position,'' Putin said.
Putin said he was worried about possible unilateral action such as U.S. abrogation of nuclear treaty commitments. But he said Russia would strengthen its nuclear capability - a claim Russia has made in the past - if America insisted on going it alone.
``But at least for the next 25 years, unilateral action will not cause substantial detriment to the national security interests of Russia,'' he said.
Putin also repeated Russia's position that the United States should not abandon the ABM treaty, saying that would undermine efforts to limit the numbers of nuclear weapons.
``If one would imagine that we would throw away the ABM treaty, it would mean that automatically the START I and START II (treaties) are thrown in the trash immediately,'' he said.
Disposal of the treaties would compel Russia to reinforce its nuclear capability, he said.
``Our nuclear potential will be strengthened,'' he said, adding that it wouldn't take much money to upgrade the nuclear arsenal and that it would be done by putting multiple warheads on strategic missiles.
The Russian leader dismissed U.S. concerns that countries such as North Korea could pose a security threat, saying Pyongyang's missile technology was based on antiquated German and Soviet technology. Putin cited religious extremists as a real threat, including the Taliban, who have imposed harsh Islamic rule in Afghanistan. He called the Taliban destruction of ancient Buddhist statues ``a catastrophe.''
He also insisted that Bush's proposed missile defense shield would never work.
``It's like a bullet hitting a bullet. Is it possible today or not? Today experts say that it is impossible to achieve this,'' Putin said.
It was the first time Putin had invited a group of U.S. journalists for a sit-down in the Kremlin since his election in March 2000. The self-assured Putin said he was ``getting tired'' of repeating Russia's position on its much-criticized war in Chechnya, and that his past as a KGB officer had given him a special ability to work with people.
Putin also said in a joking manner that Bush put up with his efforts to speak English, a language he is learning.
``I attempted to say a few words to President Bush in English,'' he said. ``He was extremely nice about it. He pretended to understand what I was talking about.''
Putin and other Kremlin officials have said they achieved their goals at the summit by renewing a dialogue with the United States that had diminished in recent months amid spy scandals, the ABM disagreement, and talk in the United States that Russia no longer matters much.
Answering another U.S. concern, Putin said Russia does not provide weapons to Iran that the United States or Israel could consider a threat. He also denied that Russia helped spread the technology for weapons of mass destruction.
``Even in the interest of our own national security, we have no plans to transfer these nuclear missile technologies to other countries, including Iran,'' he said.
Although Russia has ``complicated'' relations with Iran, Putin praised Iranian President Mohammad Khatami as a ``modern leader'' and a ``worthy partner.''
Putin said Moscow was worried unilateral action by the United States on weapons pacts ``will result in a hectic uncontrolled arms race'' in countries near Russia with nuclear aspirations.
``The U.S. is talking a lot about this concern, but for us it's a real one.''
_______________________________________________________
PHOTO CAPTION

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with American journalists in the Moscow Kremlin, Monday, June 18, 2001. Putin said Monday he and President George W. Bush had not agreed on the kinds of security threats their countries faced and warned against any unilateral moves to alter the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
- Jun 18 4:14 PM ET
_______________________________________________________