Russia is open to the possibility of letting the United States and NATO ship weaponry across its territory to Afghanistan if the broader relationship between Moscow and the West improves, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday.
Lavrov spoke after U.S. and Russian diplomats discussed the logistics of possible American shipments of non-lethal supplies. Moscow has previously allowed non-lethal cargo from European nations to cross its territory on the way to Afghanistan and said last week it would let the U.S. do the same.
Asked at a news conference whether Russia could also agree to transit of weapons, Lavrov said “additional steps are also possible.”
“The most important thing is to normalize Russia-NATO relations,” Lavrov said, adding that the alliance must view Russia as an equal partner and respect its security interests. Russia-NATO ties were frozen after last summer”s Russia-Georgia war.
In Brussels, NATO spokesman James Appathurai welcomed Lavrov”s comments, noting that several member countries already had concluded bilateral agreements with Russia for the transport of lethal military supplies.
“This is an indication of Russia”s continuing support for the operation in Afghanistan,” he said.
