Russia agrees to talks with NATO after Warsaw summit - France

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault (R) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attend a news conference following their meeting at the Quai D'Orsay in Paris, France, June 29, 2016. Reuters/Jacky Naegelen

PARIS (Reuters) - Moscow has agreed to a Russia-NATO council after the alliance's summit in Warsaw next month, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Wednesday, as both sides seek to defuse military tensions exacerbated by the Ukraine crisis.

NATO held its first formal meeting with Russia's envoy to the alliance in almost two years in April, but the talks did little to ease tensions triggered by the Ukraine crisis.