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I guess that somebody in the U.S. must have thought they would be able to forge ahead of the Soviet Union, to bring pressure to bear on the Soviet Union through these programs. That is something that would never succeed: come what may, we will find an accurate response to any challenge. But if that transpires, it will mean the burial of all negotiations, and when we might return to the negotiating table, nobody can say.
All this may of course suit the U.S. military-industrial complex, but we, on our part, have no intention of working for the U.S. military-industrial complex. Our proposals, we firmly believe, are in the best interests not only of the Soviet Union and the Soviet people, but equally in the best interests of the American people and the U.S.
That is why our proposals cause the most irritation on the part of the military-industrial complex in the U.S. We notice that by the behavior of some in the U.S. Administration. There are some there that can certainly be regarded as representatives of the U.S. military-industrial complex. We can feel their presence.
But we do have a large reserve of constructive ideas, and will continue to invite the U.S. Administration to take a different approach. If a different approach is taken by the U.S. Administration, that will open up tremendous possibilities in the field of strategic arms, medium-range arms, in the entire area of armaments. It will open wide an avenue for a broad-based process for improving relations between our two countries.
I was recently in the town of Dnepropetrovsk, and in the street there a worker asked me, "Now what is all this Star Wars that people are talking about, this new idea that Reagan is proposing, Star Wars? Aren't you afraid the U.S. might trick us in the talks?" And I said, "No, have no fear. We will not allow that to happen. We will not allow ourselves to be tricked."
But if the other side displays readiness to seek solutions to these problems, we will be equally prepared, come what may, to leave no stone unturned to seek accommodation. I firmly believe our position is humane. It is not selfish, it meets the interests of the U.S. as it does the interests of the Soviet Union and indeed all nations. Surely the U.S. has areas where it can invest money. We know that you have your own problems; perhaps we are less familiar with your problems than we are with ours, but we certainly do know that you have some problems. And we know that you have an area where you can invest money.
Q. The events of recent weeks, such as the U.S. announcement of the ASAT test and the spy dust charges, could hardly have been helpful in terms of preparations for the summit meeting. Is this type of thing seriously damaging?