Putin warns against NATO expansion

BUCHAREST, Romania, April 4 (UPI) -- Further NATO expansion toward Russia's border will be considered as a threat to the country's security, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

"The appearance on our borders of a powerful military bloc ... will be considered by Russia as a direct threat to our country's security," Putin said during a news conference after a NATO-Russia Council session during the NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania.

NATO members decided Thursday to postpone accepting Georgia and Ukraine's applications to join the alliance's Membership Action Plan, but later announced they would review their decision in December, Novosti, the Russian news agency, reported.

Despite the warning, Putin said discussions were constructive and that NATO ministers considered Moscow's position on the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty. Russia temporarily withdrew from the arms control treaty in December, expressing concerns about NATO's expansion and U.S. missile defense plans for Europe, among other issues.

He said NATO listened to Russia's concerns about U.S. plans to deploy a missile base in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic, adding that Russia and the United States would continue to discuss the issue.