PREEMPTIVE STRIKE

Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev today warned that if NATO allows any of the Eastern European countries bordering Russia to join its ranks, his country might take "countermeasures." Grachev said Russia's response could include abandoning a treaty that limits the deployment of conventional troops in the region, or increasing coordination of defenses with other former Soviet republics. Defense Secretary William Perry insisted NATO "poses no threat" to Russia and stressed that any expansion would be gradual.