Sergei Ivanov

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov says his government would be worried by any U.S. and NATO attempts to further expand their influence into the former Soviet sphere.

At a speech to the American Council for International Relations in New York Thursday, Mr. Ivanov said Russia sees no sense in further NATO enlargement.  The 26-member organization added seven European countries last year.

He also said Russia is concerned about American military presence in Georgia, a former Soviet republic where a pro-U.S. president came to power last year following a popular uprising.

Mr. Ivanov stressed that Russia is not opposed to U.S. training of Georgian peacekeepers for overseas missions.  But he says Moscow would not like Georgian peacekeepers to get involved in conflicts in the Caucasus.

Some information for this report provided by AFP.