Moscow has strongly opposed the expansion of the Western military alliance to include former Soviet republics such as Georgia and Ukraine.
NATO promised Georgia eventual membership at a summit in 2008, but enthusiasm for Tbilisi`s entry cooled after the brief war later that year, which saw Russian troops invade Georgia to protect Georgia`s tiny rebel region of South Ossetia.
"If you...had faltered back in 2008, the geopolitical situation would be different now," Medvedev said in a speech to soldiers at a base in Vladikavkaz, just north of the Georgian border.
"And a number of countries which (NATO) tried to deliberately drag into the alliance, would have most likely already been part of it now."
Despite the end of the Cold War, Russia has had numerous disagreements with NATO on missile defence, the Balkans and most recently Libya, where Moscow was sceptical of the alliance`s bombing campaign that helped topple Muammar Gaddafi. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
