Russia Draws 'Red Line' On Kosovo, US Missile Defence

[Purveyor]

MOSCOW (AFP) — Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov underlined Russia's increasingly muscular foreign policy Monday, laying out a series of non-negotiable "red line" issues including Kosovo and US missile defence.

"There are so-called 'red line' issues for Russia," Lavrov said in a speech to students at the Moscow State Institute for International Relations. "There we cannot fail to react and we must stick to our position to the end."

Lavrov specified Kosovo -- where Russia opposes Western proposals to grant the province independence from Serbia -- and opposition to US missile defence plans for Central Europe as areas where Moscow would not "horse-trade."

His comments were the latest sign of hawkish Russian opposition to key areas of US foreign policy under President Vladimir Putin, who is using massive oil and gas revenues to rebuild Russia's military and restore its diplomatic clout.

Lavrov said some were worried by "the rapid rebirth of our country as one of the leading countries of the world ... However, this does not mean that it's necessary to think up yet another myth about the Russian threat."

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