As NATO leaders sought additional aircraft Friday to oppose the forces of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in Libya, Russia warned the alliance not to use too much military force there.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said it was crucial not to use “excessive military force which will lead to further additional casualties among civilians.”
“We believe it is important to urgently transfer things into the political course and proceed with a political and diplomatic settlement,” he said at a news conference at the end of a two-day meeting here of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s foreign ministers.
Russia has strongly opposed the NATO mission in Libya from the start, getting support from Brazil, China and India.
On Friday, Mr. Lavrov suggested that NATO’s actions had exceeded the U.N. Security Council’s resolution, which calls for a no-flight zone and protection of the civilian population. He said that at one point some counties had wanted to send ground forces into Libya, in breach of the mandate, though he then conceded that that did not happen.
NATO officials dismissed Mr. Lavrov’s criticism. “We are strictly adhering to the U.N mandate,” said NATO’s secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Mr. Rasmussen was still trying Friday to obtain more aircraft from alliance members. He said he had indications that allies would provide extra strike aircraft for the operation.
“I’m hopeful that we will get the necessary assets in the very near future,” Mr. Rasmussen said at the news conference after the meeting. He declined to name any countries.
Britain and France had asked its NATO allies to provide more strike aircraft so that the coalition could hit targets in Libya with more precision. But it was clear Friday that several big alliance members, including Italy, Spain and Poland, were not willing to provide strike aircraft.
Despite the differences between Russia and NATO over Libya, both sides had lengthy discussions Friday at the NATO-Russia council, which is supposed to foster closer cooperation and trust between both sides.
At the meeting, NATO discussed the controversial issue of U.S. plans to deploys parts of a missile shield in Eastern Europe.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called for cooperation between NATO and Russia on the issue, saying such that would protect Europe and Russia against threats.
“From the NATO side, our position is very clear: We are thinking about two separate systems, a NATO system and a Russian system, but with a common objective,” Mrs. Clinton told the foreign ministers Friday. “So these two systems should coordinate and cooperate closely, exchange data and thereby make the overall architecture effective.”
She said the two missile defense centers — one for data sharing and one for advance planning and coordinating operations — could serve as linchpins for a cooperative approach to European missile defense. “They could offer a higher level of protection for NATO and Russia than if we acted separately.”
“We want to work together to set up mechanisms that will ensure long-term cooperation on missile defense between NATO and Russia,” she said. “We are optimistic that the NATO-Russia council can agree on a way forward based on the principle of equal partnership.”
Mrs. Clinton also raised the prospect of new negotiations to strengthen conventional arms control in Europe. But Mrs. Clinton insisted that “to get there, Russia must be willing to talk to its neighbors about its equipment and forces in disputed territories.”
Mrs. Clinton was referring to the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria, which is attempting to break away from Moldova, as well as the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia that are supported by Russia.
On a more harmonious note, Russia and NATO agreed that Moscow would supply helicopters to Afghanistan and help assist the transit of military equipment and logistical supplies into the country.
At the end of the summit meeting, Mrs. Clinton gave an optimistic assessment, saying the alliance was united in its goal.
And in a move aimed at starting a major debate on nuclear weapons, Mrs. Clinton said NATO would begin what she called a NATO posture review process “to determine what mix of conventional, nuclear and missile defense forces NATO will need going forward.”
Alan Cowell contributed reporting from Paris, and Eric Schmitt from Washington.
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