Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
On what grounds they consider Russian membership of NATO to be undesirable.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)Russia has not applied for NATO membership. Given the changes we have seen in European security over the last eight years and the obvious possibilities of further change, it would be unwise to say that NATO will never consider membership for Russia but at present such membership is not under consideration.