BRUSSELS, Jan. 5 — The foreign affairs ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states will hold an extraordinary virtual meeting on Friday to discuss Russia’s military buildup around Ukraine and broader European security issues, the alliance said on Tuesday.
Chaired by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the North Atlantic Council (NAC) will meet amid heightened tensions over Ukraine. The participants will also do preparatory work for the NATO-Russia Council meeting on Jan. 12.
The European Union’s (EU) top diplomat Josep Borrell flew to Ukraine on Tuesday for a two-day visit. Ahead of his departure, he discussed with Stoltenberg the Russian military buildup and the two draft treaties on security guarantees addressed by Russia to the United States and the members of NATO.
In a telephone conversation last week, U.S. President Joe Biden urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to “de-escalate tensions with Ukraine.” Biden also discussed regional security issues with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in telephone talks late on Sunday. (Xinhua)
NATO to hold extraordinary meeting over Ukraine
