NATO has suspended all practical cooperation with Russia in the aftermath of the annexation of Crimea. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced the move at a meeting in Brussels.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen: “We are suspending all practical cooperation with Russia, military and civilian, in the NATO-Russia Council, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Partnership for Peace. At the same time, we keep our diplomatic lines of communication open, and we are ready for ambassadorial or ministerial meetings in the NATO-Russia Council.”

Russia this week began withdrawing a small number of forces from its eastern border with Ukraine, a move Secretary of State John Kerry called a “welcome gesture.”