Russian President Mr Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Mr Gerhard Schroeder on Wednesday dismissed a US-backed draft resolution paving the way for military action in Iraq and called for new efforts to disarm Baghdad peacefully.
Mr Putin and Mr Schroeder have both backed an alternative proposal to prolong the mandate of UN weapons inspectors for at least another four months.
"The position of Russia is well known. We believe it is unacceptable to adopt a resolution which would automatically grant the right for the start of a war," Mr Putin said after talks with Schroeder.
"We are ready to talk to our colleagues but we are not ready to fight. We believe that is a bad solution." Schroeder said he still believed the standoff could be resolved peacefully.
"I don't want to speculate on the percentage odds, but I still hope and expect that given goodwill on the part of all sides involved in this process, a peaceful solution can be found," he said.