Plans for NATO's expansion are the most serious dispute between Russia and the United States since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, President Boris Yeltsin warned Thursday.
"Since the Cuban crisis, there hasn't been such a sharp issue in relations between Russia and the United States, which concern Russia's interests to the degree that everyone should think about it, including Americans and Europeans," Yeltsin said in remarks broadcast on Russian television.Russia bitterly opposes including former Soviet allies in the Western alliance but tacitly concedes it cannot stop the move. Yeltsin, under tough criticism from nationalist and communist opponents at home, has been trying to limit the expansion.
NATO wants an agreement with Russia before its July 8-9 summit in Madrid, where it plans to name its first new members from Central and Eastern Europe. Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are believed to be the leading candidates.
"It's essential for us that we take part in all NATO's decision-making," Yeltsin told reporters after putting flowers on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin on the eve of the Victory Day, which marks the end of World War II.
"They also mustn't deploy weapons and military hardware, especially nuclear, in newly accepted NATO country-members," he said.
Negotiators have agreed to create a new Russia-NATO council that will allow Moscow to have a direct voice - but not a vote - in decisions made by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
But differences still remain on military aspects of the agreement. NATO says it has "no plan, no need and no intention" to move nuclear weapons or combat troops to the territories of new members but doesn't rule out such a move in the future.
Moscow wants stronger assurances, but NATO says it can't make firm promises and still preserve its security guarantees to member states. The Western alliance also declines to promise that it won't build military infrastructure on the territory of new member states, including airfields, communications centers and air defense installations.
Yeltsin said that if Russian conditions are met, he will go to Paris on May 27 to sign an agreement with NATO.
At the latest talks this week, both sides reported progress but acknowledged problems remained and the prospects of Russia and NATO signing a charter this month remained shaky.