UKRAINE DOUBTFUL

. Ukrainian defense minister Valery Shmarov said onTuesday that NATO was unlikely to expand quickly and suggested east Europeancountries expecting to join soon would be turned away disappointed. "I’ve met with a great many NATO leaders and not a single one is thinking about NATO moving eastwards," he told Interfax. "NATO leaders are well aware that such an option is fraught with the possibility of new tensions." Shmarov says he believes that, "Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, is destined for a role as a buffer zone." (But Ukraine continues participation in Partnership for Peace. See "In Perspective" item below.)

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