Moscow: Russia is demanding that a new cooperation agreement with Nato limit the number of troops that can be based in new member states in Central Europe, a Russian newspaper reported yesterday.
Russia and the alliance appear to be courting more constructive ties after years of acrimony over US missiles in Europe, the possible expansion of Nato towards Russian borders, and the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.
President Dmitry Medvedev is set to attend an annual Nato summit in Portugal next month, when a new deal could be struck.
Draft agreement
But Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has handed a draft agreement to Nato demanding a ban on "significant military forces" in states that joined since the Soviet breakup in 1991, according to a report in Kommersant. The report cites an unidentified Nato official as saying that language could be too vague.
Any move to limit troops in countries that originally joined Nato to throw off Moscow's domination looks likely to be met with resistance.
