Russia Says West 'Counterproductive' On Belarus
April 28, 2006
Opposition protest in Minsk on the occasion of the Chornobyl disaster on April 26 (RFE/RL)
Lavrov said Russia "could not agree with or approve of" such moves.
After the talks with Lavrov, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said NATO and Russia were far apart on Belarus.
Russia maintains close political, economic, and military ties with Belarus.
The March 19 Belarusian presidential election, in which Lukashenka was reelected, was denounced as fraudulent by Western countries. The European Union imposed travel bans on senior Belarusian officials, including Lukashenka.
NATO has called for the immediate release of Belarusian opposition leader Alyaksandr Milinkevich, who was sentenced to 15 days in prison along with other opposition leaders after a protest rally on April 26.
(AP, dpa)