You're reading: Rasmussen: NATO announces review cooperation with Russia over Ukraine

NATO has decided to put the entire range of the NATO-Russia cooperation under review due to Moscow's actions in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced this at a press conference held following a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.

“We have also decided that no staff-level civilian or military meetings with Russia will take place for now… NATO Foreign Ministers will take decisions on this in early April,” the secretary general said.

NATO also suspended the planning of the first joint operation with Russia – the maritime escort for the U.S. ship Cape Ray, which will neutralize Syria’s chemical weapons.

“Let me stress, this will not affect the destruction of chemical weapons, but Russia will not be involved in the escort of the US vessel,” Rasmussen said.

At the same time, the Alliance wants to keep the door open for political dialogue and is ready to maintain meetings of ambassadors in the NATO-Russia Council.

Rasmussen said he asked the Russian ambassador “to convey NATO’s firm message to Moscow.”

“At the same time we have decided to intensify our partnership with Ukraine, and strengthen our cooperation to support democratic reforms,” the secretary general added.

He said that he was to meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk on Thursday.