Keep away from our borders, Putin tells Nato

Quote: Vladimir Putin yesterday told Nato that it would become a "direct threat" to Moscow if it expanded further east.
Emboldened after routing the alliance's plans to offer membership to Ukraine and Georgia, the Russian president yesterday gave warning that the countries must be locked out permanently. "The emergence of a powerful military bloc at our borders will be seen as a direct threat to Russian security," Mr Putin told Nato heads of state at a summit in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.
"The efficiency of our co-operation will depend on whether Nato members take Russia's interests into account."
While the tone of his speech was typically strident, Mr Putin refrained from the insults with which he often pepper his foreign policy speeches.
Nor, however, was he as conciliatory as some Western European countries had hoped after their retreat on membership. Many analysts described Nato's capitulation as the biggest foreign policy victory of Mr Putin's presidency. Mr Putin, who switches jobs to become prime minister next month, offered no substantial compromises in return and ties with the West will consequently remain strained over a number of potentially explosive issues.

Full article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/05/wnato105.xml

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