President Vladimir Putin said today that Russia would reconsider its opposition to further NATO expansion if Moscow were more involved in the process.
Russia has until now been fiercely opposed to the inclusion of the three former Soviet Baltic states in the 19-nation Western alliance when NATO considers its next wave of enlargement next year.
"As for NATO expansion, one can take another, an entirely new look at this...if NATO takes on a different shade and is becoming a political organisation. Of course we would reconsider our position with regard to such expansion if we were to feel involved in such processes," President Putin told a joint news conference with European Union leaders.
In his most conciliatory comments so far, the Russian leader said it was essential to find a joint mechanism for Moscow and the 19-nation Western alliance to fight the common threat of terrorism.
"They keep saying that NATO is becoming more political than military. We are looking at this (and) watching this process. If this is to be so, it would change things considerably," he said.