President Vladimir Putin told NATO's secretary-general yesterday that Russia was ready to match the alliance's desire to boost ties, but did not seek to join the military pact or have a veto right over its activities.
"On the one hand, Russia is not standing in the queue to join NATO, but on the other hand, is ready to develop relations as far as the North Atlantic alliance is prepared for this," Mr Putin told the NATO Secretary-General, Lord Robertson in the Kremlin.
Lord Robertson told reporters that the alliance and Russia would study with "some urgency" a British plan to allow Russia to join a new body and discuss certain security issues with NATO's 19 members on a basis of equality - a long-standing Russian goal.
On Thursday, Lord Robertson, a former British defence secretary, told Reuters that it was "implied" Moscow would have a veto right in a new 20-member body. NATO sources say it was expected the body would discuss pre-defined topics like terrorism as well as "soft" security areas such as peacekeeping and responding to civil emergencies.
After meeting the Kremlin leader, Lord Robertson said "he (Putin) said this was not some back-door method of Russia getting membership of NATO, and he already ruled out going in the front door".
Mr Putin had told him that Russia was not trying to "slow down or neutralise the work that NATO does, nor was it a way in which Russia would seek to have a veto on what NATO was doing," Lord Robertson added.
Russia, which despite its economic woes of the past decade remains a nuclear superpower, has been pressing for a dialogue of equals with NATO.
It complains the "19 plus 1" format usually sees the NATO allies ranged against Moscow. Under Mr Blair's proposal, a 20-strong Russia-North Atlantic Council would reach decisions on specific topics by consensus - giving Moscow a de facto veto.
"If we want to make that move, it would be a momentous change. Therefore, we have to prepare with some care but also with some speed," Lord Robertson said yesterday.
"There are clear attractions" of moving from the "19 plus 1" format to a format of 20, he added.
The idea seems to have gone down well in Moscow. Mr Vladimir Rushailo, secretary of Russia's Security Council, said after meeting Lord Robertson on Friday that "soon we'll move from a '19 plus 1' format to that of 20 equals". But he echoed Mr Putin's words that Russia was not seeking to meddle in NATO's internal affairs.
The two sides should broaden co-operation in the fight against terrorism, organised crime, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, peacekeeping operations and responding to emergencies, Rushailo said.
Mr Putin has made integrating Russia into Western institutions a priority, despite reservations among the military and parts of the foreign policy establishment.
However, many obstacles remain within Russia and the Atlantic alliance. Many practical difficulties remain and the new format has yet to be endorsed by NATO states. In addition, it is unclear how widely Mr Blair has canvassed his ideas.
In a further sign of warming ties, Lord Robertson made clear on Thursday that the West had re-evaluated Russia's two-year campaign in secessionist Chechnya since September 11th.
"We may disagree with the means Russia has chosen in the handling of that conflict ... but we have certainly come to see the scourge of terrorism in Chechnya with different eyes." Mr Putin says Russia is fighting in Chechnya the same international terrorism that attacked the US.