French Defense Minister, Herve Morin, said in an interview with The Associated Press, that Moscow must be consulted before any further expansion of NATO.
“These are things that cannot be decided without speaking to our Russian neighbor. [Europe's] security architecture must be built with Russia,” Morin said.
He noted that relations with Russia should be taken into account, especially regarding NATO membership of such countries as Ukraine and Georgia.
Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, said on March 17 that Russia would rearm its military and boost its nuclear forces from 2011 in response to NATO expansion.
“Attempts to expand the military infrastructure of NATO near the borders of our country are continuing,” Medvedev said at a meeting of the military’s top brass.
In Washington, White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said Medvedev's comments seemed to be “largely for domestic consumption” and dismissed any notion that NATO posed an offensive threat to Russia.
