From the Financial Times: This week, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the new Nato secretary-general, followed suit, telling the FT he wants to start an “open-minded and unprecedented dialogue” with the Kremlin on security issues. These words have been accompanied by action to allay Russian concerns, such as an effective halt to Nato’s eastward expansion. Yet in spite of the goodwill, Russia appears neither engaged nor serious about tackling the world’s big security issues. This cannot go on . . .

Russia must recognise two things. First, it faces no conceivable threat from Nato. The alliance’s expansion to Georgia and Ukraine is on hold. Mr Obama is going cool on putting a missile defence shield in Europe, a project Russia feared. Russia should therefore respond by reducing security tensions in Europe, reversing its recent suspension of the continent’s main arms control treaty. It should not be making new security demands. (photo: Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty)