Nuclear Issues, Russia-Ukraine on NATO Ministers' Agenda

Baku. 5 February. REPORT.AZ/ NATO defense ministers will meet Thursday in Brussels to discuss nuclear issues, the conflict in Ukraine and the threat of Russian aggression near NATO’s eastern border.

Also on the agenda are Georgia’s aspirations to join the 28-member alliance.

This will be the fifth defense ministers meeting for Chuck Hagel, who is making his final international trip as U.S. defense secretary. Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said the meeting would offer the secretary time to reflect on NATO’s changes before he leaves office in the coming days.

“This ministerial will be an opportunity for the secretary to offer parting thoughts on the evolution of the alliance over the course of his career — as a United States senator serving on the Foreign Relations Committee, as the former chairman of the Atlantic Council and, of course, as secretary of defense," Kirby said.

NATO leaders will discuss what the Pentagon calls “continuing Russian provocation in the east.”

Speaking Tuesday at a news conference on Ukraine, Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution, said Russian action in Ukraine was more than just a provocation.