Negotiations with Russia over a NATO missile defence shield for Europe have reached a "near deadlock," French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Wednesday, DPA reported.
"I say deadlock, ... but no door is shut," he told reporters after a first day of meetings with his NATO counterparts in Brussels. "We have to convince Russia that this isn't aimed at her ... If we keep hammering in the nail, it will eventually go in."
Juppe acknowledged that recent statements by the Russians may suggest a "cooling off in the relations between NATO and Russia," but also was quick to warn against "overreacting."
"We still have some way to go before (a May summit in) Chicago, so I hope that the deadlock will end," he said.