"Neither Russia nor Ukraine is currently thinking about jointly making nuclear warhead carriers," the head of the government's commission in charge of military manufacturing, Volodimir Gorbulin, told the UT-1 television channel.

That contrasted with a remark by a junior defence minister Friday who said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma would discuss the joint construction of intercontinental ballistic missiles when they hold a 24-hour summit in Kiev late Sunday.

The minister suggested the missiles could be used to carry nuclear warheads.

Monday, Putin and Kuchma are to visit a factory that, in Soviet times, used to be one of the biggest missile factories in the world. It now builds trams and satellite launcher rockets.

Ukraine renounced the use of nuclear weapons after winning independence in 1991 and all its nuclear missiles -- estimated at some 1,500 -- were transported to Russia in 1996.

Meanwhile, Moscow has a positive attitude towards the new U.S. administration's intention to reduce strategic offensive nuclear arsenals, but will insist that the 1972 Anti- Ballistic Missile Treaty remain intact, Russian military diplomatic sources have told Interfax in commenting on U.S. media reports saying that President George W. Bush intends to issue a number of directives on military policy, one of which would provide for a significant reduction of strategic nuclear forces.

"We are prepared to immediately begin negotiations with the U.S. on further reduction of strategic offensive weapons and search for constructive ways to maintain strategic stability," the sources told Interfax.

At the same time they emphasized that the reduction of nuclear arsenals must not be subjected to amending the 1972 ABM Treaty. "Russia's position on this issue remains unchanged. As soon as Washington takes the first step to deploy a national ABM system, Moscow will take actions in response," the sources said.

"Certain information indicates that the U.S. military leadership believes that the number of nuclear warheads should be no fewer than 2,000," they said.

At the present time, the U.S. has about 7,000 warheads. In line with the Russian-U.S. START II treaty, the sides are to cut their strategic offensive weapons to 3,500 warheads. Under the former Clinton administration, there were plans to draw up a START III treaty, providing for each side's reducing their nuclear arsenals to 2,000- 2,500 warheads.

Russia has lately been proposing that the U.S. make more radical reductions - up to 1,500 warheads or even less for each side.

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