U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Western alliances are willing to work with Russia to seek solutions to end the unrest in Ukraine, but will stand firm on principles based on freedom and international law.
Speaking Tuesday in Belgium, Kerry said NATO "does not seek to weaken, to contain or to divide their nation or any other nation". He said the alliance and EU countries want to work with a Russia that is just as committed to solving common challenges.
Relations between Moscow and Western allied nations have been increasingly strained since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has been supporting pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The United States has imposed sanctions against Russia for violating the sovereignty of Ukraine and NATO has deployed forces near Russian borders.
Kerry spoke in Brussels at a transatlantic relations event hosted by the German Marshall Fund and the U.S. Mission to the European Union.
