Russia FM: Moscow Will Do All It Can To Prevent NATO Membership For Ukraine, Georgia

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

Sergey Lavrov warned that the two nations' bids to join the alliance could worsen Moscow's relations with the countries supporting them.

"We will do all we can to prevent Ukraine's and Georgia's accession into NATO and to avoid an inevitable serious exacerbation of our relations with both the alliance and our neighbors," Lavrov said on Ekho Moskvy radio.

A NATO summit in Bucharest last week has failed to grant Ukraine and Georgia a roadmap to membership despite strong support from the United States. Germany, France and some other alliance members opposed the move, fearing it would strain ties with Moscow. NATO, however, has promised to incorporate both nations in the future.

Lavrov denounced the alliance expansion plans as rooted in Cold War logic. "This is enlargement in the spirit of that very Cold War logic, the spirit of bloc confrontation, and the spirit of bloc absorption of territories," he said.

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Russia's President Vladimir Putin has vowed to broaden Russian support for Abkhazia and South Ossetia and warned Georgia and the West against the use of force or pressure to bring them back under central government control.

The Kremlin-controlled parliament last month urged the government to consider recognizing the independence claims of the two separatist provinces, which broke from government control in early 1990s wars.



Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/08/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-NATO.php

[Hugabear]

1. How would we have felt if the Warsaw Pact tried to add Mexico, Cuba?

Somehow, I don't think that we'd look too kindly on that. So why is it so hard to understand their frustration at our NATO expansion?

[unkachuck]

2. they must think....

"This is enlargement in the spirit of that very Cold War logic, the spirit of bloc confrontation, and the spirit of bloc absorption of territories,"

....you and Russia are stupid....'Iranian missile shield in your front yard'....'Ukraine and Georgia becoming good NATO members'....they're boxing you in Sergey, for the internal strife to come....

....face it Sergey, you've got way too much property and natural resources for only 140 million people....the global capitalists are going to help relieve you of this burden....