NATO ambassadors were set Wednesday to resume talks with their Russian counterpart, ending a nearly two-year hiatus that followed the controversial Russian annexation of Crimea, dpa reported. "Dialogue is more important when times are difficult, when tensions are high, and since we face some really serious challenges now, I think it is especially important that we are able to meet the Russians," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday while attending a meeting of EU defence ministers in Luxembourg. "The main purpose of the NATO-Russia Council tomorrow is to exchange views, is to be transparent, is to contribute to predictability and to discuss Ukraine," he added. Relations between Ukraine and neighbouring Russia have plummeted to an all-time low since Kiev ousted its pro-Russian president in 2014. Moscow responded by annexing Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and supporting the then-erupting rebellion in the east. NATO suspended all practical cooperation with Moscow after the annexation, which it said violated international law.
