NATO and Russia to Discuss the Future of Ukraine

Russia and NATO must meet to discuss the Ukrainian crisis, which has significantly strained relations between the countries since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The Russia-NATO Council intends to hold a meeting within the next two weeks to discuss the peace process in eastern Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan.

However, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that this will not be a 'return to normal cooperation'. Regarding the upcoming meeting, Stoltenberg stated that it is nothing more than a 'continuation of political discussions in agreement with NATO heads of state and government.'

'Meanwhile, there will be no return to business as usual until the Russian Federation starts to respect international law again', he added.

The Russia-NATO Council was initiated in 2002, but there have been no ambassador-level meetings since June 2014.

NATO announced last month that an additional armored brigade will be deployed in Eastern Europe, meaning that a total of three such brigades will be permanently stationed there.

Russia is widely accused of secretly supporting rebels who currently control much of eastern Ukraine in a bloody armed conflict with the Ukrainian army.

At the end of last year, Russian leader Vladimir Putin characterized NATO's expansion as a threat to his state.

Tensions between NATO and Russia, both of which possess vast nuclear arsenals dating back to the Cold War, have clouded international relations since Russia's annexation of Crimea and the disputed referendum on the peninsula's self-determination.