NATO Secretary General meets Russian Foreign Minister

The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov at the Palais d'Egmont in Brussels on Tuesday (19 May 2015). The Secretary General restated NATO's position on Russia's illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea and its continued destabilisation of eastern Ukraine. He urged all parties to implement the Minsk agreements in full, and called on Russia to withdraw its troops and support for the separatists in eastern Ukraine. Stressing the importance of transparency and predictability related to military activities, Mr Stoltenberg voiced concern about the large number of snap exercises conducted by Russia. The Secretary General made clear that NATO's policy remains unchanged. As a result of Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine, NATO decided in April 2014 to suspend all practical cooperation with Russia, while keeping open political channels of communications.