Not smart at all. We should have cut the Russians into that pipeline years ago and expanding Nato into the former Warsaw pact countries was a bone-headed move.
The Russians were offered a piece of the BTC pipeline and turned it down. They don’t want a minority interest, they want to control the flow of oil and gas from N Africa, Iran, the Caspian and of course Gazprom’s vast holdings into Europe. They’re courting the Germans in this respect with Schroeder on the board of Gazprom and the proposed joint Germ/Rus Nord Stream natgas pipeline beneath the Baltic.
Those former Soviet satellites have shown to a great degree they’d rather die then end back under Russian occupation. They know what it’s like to have that Russian boot on your throat and apparently don’t much care to go back. They’ve been great allies and Russia is attempting to do the very same thing in our backyard via Cuba, Chavez and others although it’s questionable how successful they’ll be. When it comes to projecting power they’re not in the same league.