NATO is committed to ensuring the channel of communication with Russian counterparts remains open and ready for use, including in a crisis situation. This is stated in NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s Annual Report 2018, reports TASS.

“In addition, high-level meetings between NATO and the Russian leadership continue, alongside NATO’s military leaders maintaining a channel of communication with their Russian counterparts. NATO is committed to ensuring this channel remains open and ready for use, including in a crisis situation.”

The Report states that the NATO-Russia Council also continued the practice of reciprocal briefings on upcoming military exercises.

“During both Council meetings in 2018, NATO briefed on Exercise Trident Juncture 18 and Russia briefed on its exercise Vostok 2018. This practice has the potential to contribute to greater predictability and risk reduction in the EuroAtlantic area. However, NATO continues to make clear that voluntary briefings in the NATO-Russia Council cannot replace mandatory transparency under the Vienna Document,” as stated in the Report.