Acting President Vladimir Putin, in an unexpected gesture to the West, suggested in a television interview Sunday that Russia would consider joining NATO if the Western alliance agreed to treat Russia as an equal partner.
"Why not? Why not?" Putin said when asked by BBC interviewer David Frost about Russian membership. "I do not rule out such a possibility ... in the case that Russia's interests will be reckoned with, if it will be an equal partner.
"Russia is a part of European culture, and I do not consider my own country in isolation from Europe and from ... what we often talk about as the civilized world," Putin said. "Therefore, it is with difficulty that I imagine NATO as an enemy."
[NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said Monday that the prospect of Russia joining NATO is not realistic for now, Reuters reported. "At present, Russian membership is not on the agenda," he said in a statement, noting that work required to build on existing links was "an already challenging task." But Robertson welcomed the "positive spirit" displayed by Putin in the BBC interview.]
Putin's remark follows a series of positive gestures from the West, including a recent declaration by U.S. President Bill Clinton that Putin is someone "we can do business with." The administration appears hopeful that the State Duma will soon ratify the START II arms-reduction treaty and that a summit could be held with Putin afterward to mark progress toward a new treaty, despite continuing disagreements on anti-ballistic missile defenses.
In practice, Russia and NATO have had a strained relationship since Russia acquiesced to NATO's expansion into Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic last spring. Such programs as Partnership for Peace, a planned military cooperation effort, and a joint Russia-NATO council have achieved little.
When NATO attacked Yugoslavia last spring, the Russian military and political leadership reacted with anger and bitterness, freezing the relationship. When the fighting ended, Russia aggravated NATO by sending its soldiers into Kosovo ahead of NATO peacekeepers.
While tensions have eased, Russian officials expressed irritation that a recent NATO meeting was held in Ukraine, and have opposed NATO inclusion of any former Soviet republics, some of which have expressed interest in joining.
Putin's statement on NATO drew immediate reaction at home.
Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, a presidential candidate, said it is "naive and unpardonable for a politician of his level" to make such a statement. Putin, he said, "lacks understanding of foreign-policy issues. In such a case, he should at least hire knowledgeable foreign-policy advisers."
However, several others supported Putin. Vladimir Lukin, a former ambassador to the United States and now a deputy speaker in parliament, said Russia could join if NATO reduced its military focus and became more of a political organization. "Basically, Putin is right, but this will be a long and complex work," Lukin said.