NATO, Russia envoys to hold rare joint meeting in Brussels

BRUSSELS – NATO says its ambassadors will hold talks with Russia’s envoy next week in a rare meeting of the NATO-Russia Council.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s office said Friday that the meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels is scheduled for Oct. 26.

Developments in Afghanistan, the situation in Ukraine and reducing the risks of clashes and accidents during military exercises or border surveillance are expected to be discussed.

NATO-Russia Council agendas have been notoriously difficult to establish. One reason is Russian reluctance to talk about Ukraine. Russia seized Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014.

The talks come amid heightened tensions.

NATO has stationed 4,000 troops in the Baltic countries and Poland in response to fears of Russian aggression. Moscow says the Western military alliance is closing in on its borders.