Medvedev Warns Against NATO Plans

Dmitry Medvedev has warned former Soviet states not to join NATO, claiming that their membership would threaten the stability of the region. Georgia and Ukraine are angling to join the military alliance and have received strong support from the US. But in an interview with the Financial Times, Russia's incoming president called the prospect "extremely troublesome for the existing structure of European security."

NATO members meet in Bucharest next week to consider the request. “No state can be pleased about having representatives of a military bloc to which it does not belong coming close to its borders," Medvedev said. President Bush, who backs the addition of the two, will be at the summit, and Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to attend. Medvedev said he is open to mending ties with the UK in the wake of the Litvinenko spy scandal.