PRESIDENT Yeltsin took a tough line against NATO's plans to expand eastwards yesterday, three days before a European security summit.
"Russia's stance on NATO expansion remains unchanged, that is, negative," the Kremlin spokesman, Mr Sergei Yastrzhembsky, quoted Mr Yeltsin as saying in a meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr Viktor Chernomyrdin, and the Foreign Minister, Mr Yevgeny Primakov.
"Even if some want it or not, NATO expansion will lead to new divisions in Europe," he said.
Mr Yeltsin's remarks before Monday's start of the Lisbon summit of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) brought to a crescendo Russia's criticism this week of NATO plans to take in countries from eastern and central Europe.
Russia says NATO's expansion towards its borders would threaten its security. It wants the OSCE to play a wider security role in Europe and act as a counterbalance to NATO.
Mr Chernomyrdin, who will head the Russian delegation to Lisbon, attacked NATO's plans during a visit to Paris this week.
The Defence Minister, Mr Igor Rodionov, said in an interview published on Thursday that one option for responding to NATO expansion would be to point Russia's missiles at eastern Europe.
"It could even come to us redirecting our missiles at certain European countries entering NATO [all the more so if these countries weapons being positioned their territory]," he told Nezavisimaya Gazela.