Medvedev said the new missiles would be developed in full accordance with arms agreements made with the United States.

"Of course, we will develop new systems, including delivery systems, that is, missiles," Medvedev said in an end-of-year interview with state-controlled television channels.

"This process will be continued, and our nuclear shield will always be efficient and sufficient to protect our national interests," Medvedev said.

The Kremlin chief said Russia and the United States were close to a new deal on reducing vast Cold War arsenals of nuclear weapons, adding that he had "trustworthy relations" with U.S. President Barack Obama.

**Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov, editing by Guy Faulconbridge