Will Russian "join" NATO?

NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen calls for partnership with Russia

The new Nato secretary general today called for a "strategic partnership" with Russia a year after the Kremlin's war in Georgiatriggered the worst tension between Moscow and the west for nearly 20 years.

In his first public appearance since he took up the post, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Danish prime minister, said good relations with Russia were a priority during his five-year tenure. His statement will worry Nato members of central Europe and the Baltic who are protesting to the White House over Barack Obama's recent overtures to the Kremlin.