More on the Russian equation on this.

MOSCOW: Russia is open to the possibility of letting the United States and NATO ship weaponry across its territory to Afghanistan if the broader relationship between Moscow and the West improves, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday.

Lavrov spoke after a meeting at which U.S. and Russian diplomats discussed logistical details of possible U.S. shipments of nonlethal supplies to Afghanistan via Russia. Moscow has allowed nonlethal cargo from European nations to cross its territory and said last week that it would let the United States do the same.

The U.S. Embassy said Wednesday that Washington hoped to finalize details of the proposal, but that it had not yet been cemented.

Asked at a news conference whether Russia could also agree to transit of weapons, Lavrov said “additional steps are also possible.”

“Last April and May we discussed the possibility of using Russian military cargo planes to deliver supplies to coalition forces with our NATO colleagues,” he said. “Any other agreements are also possible.”
He added that broader cooperation on Afghanistan would be contingent on the improvement of Moscow-NATO ties, which were frozen after Russia’s war with Georgia last summer.

Russia-NATO Relations Feb. 10