Sergei Lavrov said Moscow does not intend to spend money on a senseless arms race.
Russian analysts argued earlier in the week that Washington's consistent efforts to redeploy its missile defense system closer to Russia's borders suggest the U.S. seeks to revive the Cold War.
Washington has recently moved its largest sea-based missile defense radar in the Pacific from Hawaii to the Aleutian Islands, not far from Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. It has also announced plans to install a radar system in the Czech Republic and a missile interceptor in Poland, which it says it needs to protect itself against a potential threat from Iran.
"We will seek, and are already seeking and finding, what I would call an 'intellectual response'," the Russian minister said in an interview with German weekly Der Spiegel.
Moscow has always strongly resisted the deployment of a missile shield in its former backyard in Central Europe, describing the plans as a threat to national security.
At an annual news conference at the beginning of the month, President Vladimir Putin called Washington's justification of the missile shield unconvincing, and pledged to amend Russia's military strategy.
"All our responses will be asymmetric, but highly effective," the president said.
Lavrov said Washington seems to have almost clinched agreements to deploy elements of its anti-missile defense system in Central Europe.
"As for the U.S. anti-ballistic missile defense, we see no objective reasons for placing elements of it in Europe, and do not consider threats from North Korea and Iran sufficient for such radical shifts in strategic stability," Lavrov said.
The minister said the Russian side wants full transparency, and is discussing these issues with U.S. partners, including through the Russia-NATO Council, in order to get a clear explanation for these plans.
On relations with NATO, Lavrov said the Western security reliance is responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan, and refuses to cooperate with Russia in combating drug trafficking from the world's main opium producer.
He said the Collective Security Treaty Organization, comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, regularly conducts anti-drug operations along Afghanistan's borders.
"We have been proposing for three years that NATO maintain real anti-drug cooperation in Afghanistan and on its borders to intercept drug caravans. But NATO evades cooperation," Lavrov said.
He also said Iran could be involved in such cooperation as one of the most responsible allies in the fight against drug trafficking.
On the international dispute surrounding Iran's nuclear program, he said the issue demands a collective approach.
The situation in the Middle East and Iraq shows that "attempts to use force unilaterally, bypassing international law, aggravate the problem," and result in appeals for international assistance.
He said Moscow could not act as a passive observer, as Iraq and the Middle East as a whole is an important area which could have a negative impact on international security and stability.
The Russian diplomat said all global issues should be resolved jointly, as any unilateral steps and unilateral use of force will lead to a deadlock."
