THE Russian Foreign Minister, Mr Yevgeny Primnkov, signalled to his Nato counterparts that Moscow had toned down its strident opposition to the alliance's eastward expansion, the German Foreign Minister, Mr Klaus Kinkel, said.
Mr Kinkel cautioned reporters, however, against interpreting this as a breakthrough paving the way for countries in central and eastern Europe to join the alliance soon.
Mr Kinkel said Mr Primakov had told the 16 alliance foreign ministers in Berlin that Moscow did not object to former Warsaw Pact states joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
But he vigorously rejected any step by Nato to move troops and weapons up to its borders.
"Primakov said Russia had no basic objection to other countries' desires to become Nato members, but Russia decisively opposed moving Nato military structures up to Russia's borders," he said.
Asked if that meant the door was now open for countries like Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary to join, he said "You cannot say that, for God's sake."
Russia was simply acknowledging the security needs of these countries, the fact that they wanted to join Nato and that the alliance wanted to admit them, Mr Kinkel explained.
"One cannot say that there has been a general change in Russia's stance. That is not the case. But you could feel a certain dissolution of tension today."
The French Foreign Minister, Mr Herve de Charette, also played down the importance of Mr Primakov's message.
"I did not notice that he had changed his position in any way" he told reporters.
Mr Primakov did not go into the alliance's expansion when he and the Nato Secretary General, Mr Javier Solana, appeared briefly before reporters after the talks.
Mr Primakov called the meeting "very constructive" and said it was important that the alliance was treating Russia as a key player in "the emerging security architecture in Europe".
"On our side, we believe that Nato is playing an important role. It is adapting to the new realities," he said.
Nato diplomats said Mr Primakov's co-operative tone apparently showed President Boris Yeltsin did not want to pick a public fight with Nato only two weeks before presidential elections in Russia.
"Yeltsin wants to be seen as belonging to the group of world leaders before the elections," one diplomat said.
While Nato leaders insist that Russia has no veto over its expansion plans, diplomats say Moscow has influenced the allied debate on who should join and that it is now seeking a deal.
The 16 nation alliance is due to announce early in 1997 which countries can join.
Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are expected to be the only ones allowed into the fold for now.
Western diplomats say the Baltic republics, although keen to join, have been effectively ruled out because taking them in would be seen as a direct provocation by Moscow.
They border Russia and were part of the Soviet Union until 1991.