NATO ignores Russia again, but at what cost?

After turning his U.S.-bound plane around in midair upon hearing of NATO_s decision to strike Russia_s Yugoslav allies, Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov warned of serious long-term consequences to the stability of southeastern Europe and the U.S.-Russia relationship. "I DO NOT THINK that strikes will help stabilize the situation in Kosovo," Primakov said minutes after arriving in Moscow. "On the contrary, it will be destabilizing, and damage will be inflicted both on our relations with the United States and with stability in Europe." In Russia, politicians across the spectrum condemned NATO. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov indicated that Russia might push for the lifting of the international arms embargo against Belgrade. Russia could consider withdrawing from the embargo unilaterally, he said. "Military action against Yugoslavia has no justification, legal, political or moral," Ivanov said. The Kremlin announced that President Boris Yeltsin, "deeply shocked" by NATO_s decision to launch air strikes against Yugoslavia, suspended Russian cooperation with the alliance. In a statement released shortly after the bombing began, the Kremlin also said Russia had called an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.