Soothing Russian Fears Will Be Key to Summit

As his summit meeting with President Clinton in Helsinki draws closer, Russia’s President Boris Yeltsin is raising the volume of his attacks on NATO’s plan to open its ranks to a number of Central European nations that formerly were locked in the Soviet orbit. Western officials think Yeltsin has accepted NATO’s expansion as inevitable and is continuing to protest in hopes of wringing more concessions from the alliance. In fact, a major new gesture to Moscow has just been offered, with NATO’s announcement that it does not plan to permanently station foreign ground forces on the territory of new member states.

That decision should work to ease Russian suspicions that the pending invitation to Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to join NATO means that before long Western troops might be shifted to bases hundreds of miles closer to the borders of the old Soviet Union. NATO is of course reserving the right to temporarily send foreign troops to these countries as part of its normal multinational exercises. Without that, it would have little value as a military alliance. But together with its earlier pledge not to station nuclear weapons on the territory of new members, NATO has now moved significantly to address fears that its enlargement threatens Russia’s security.

The invitation to Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to apply for NATO membership will be made in July. Before then, the West hopes it can come to terms with Russia on a special relationship under which Russia and NATO would permanently consult on security issues of mutual concern--for example, international terrorism and nuclear proliferation. The aim would be not just practical cooperation but to boost Russia’s confidence that even an enlarged NATO is no threat to its vital interests.

Moscow will not, as part of this special relationship, be handed the virtual veto over NATO policy it would like. Nor will it win NATO’s agreement to halt its expansion at the three states to be invited in this summer. Specifically, it wants a commitment that the Baltic states and Ukraine will be excluded from NATO membership. In fact, further enlargement may well be slow in coming. A Western foreign minister told The Times recently that it will probably be 10 or 15 years before new NATO expansion is considered.

Clinton will take to his Helsinki meetings on Thursday and Friday further proposals aimed at easing Moscow’s fears that the West is seeking military advantage. Most notably, Washington proposes further cuts in long-range nuclear weapons, perhaps down to no more than 2,000 warheads for each side. How realistic this bold approach is remains to be seen. Russia’s Communist-dominated parliament still refuses to ratify the Start II treaty, under which each side must cut its nuclear warheads to no more than 3,500. Without ratification, negotiating further cuts would be a wasted exercise. Still, the U.S. proposal for smaller arsenals is meant to reassure Russia. Just maybe it will get the fair consideration it deserves.