NATO and Russia held their first high level talks for nearly two years in Brussels. The talks are held at the initiative of alliance under the chairmanship of the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Russia was represented by Permanent Representative to NATO, Alexander Grushko.

NATO's press office confirmed that ambassadors from the 28 countries that make up NATO had begun their meeting, TASS reported.

The press service of the alliance reported that following the meeting, the NATO Secretary General will make the final statement.

The agenda of the meeting includes three main issues: Ukraine, Afghanistan and security issues in Eastern Europe, TASS reported quoting representatives of the NATO headquarters.

Earlier, Alexander Grushko stated that they had never rejected carrying out the Councils (Russia, NATO).

The parties have already agreed on the agenda, which will affect the most important factors related to European security, in particular the crisis in Ukraine, first of all, in terms of the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

According to him, issues of military activity and activity of NATO will also be discussed. He added that they were concerned about the military alliance's plan that is based on the need of controlling Russia, that significantly worsens the security situation and contradicts the obligations of military restraint. Grushko also informed that the mass of problems is, of course, deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.

In turn, before the meeting Stoltenberg warned that the North Atlantic alliance intends to declare once again the impossibility to continue the relationship "as usual" with Russia until full resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.