NATO seeks to allay concerns at meeting with Russia

A NATO flag flies at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels during a NATO ambassadors meeting on the situation in Ukraine and the Crimea region, March 2, 2014. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO and Russia held more than three hours of talks on Monday, discussing ways to reduce military accidents but also underscoring their deep disagreement on the conflict in Ukraine.

Western diplomats said the fact that the NATO-Russia Council, where the Russian ambassador to the North Atlantic alliance sits with members states' envoys, had met at all was significant after an increase in Russian military deployments.