BRUSSELS - NATO's foreign ministers have ordered an end to civilian and military co-operation with Russia and told their generals and admirals to quickly devise ways to better protect alliance members that feel threatened by Vladimir Putin's Kremlin.
The 28-member alliance, the keystone of U.S. and European security, was reacting to its most serious crisis in years: Russia's unilateral annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
Secretary of State John Kerry and the other ministers, meeting at NATO headquarters behind closed doors, unanimously agreed Tuesday on a number of measures, including possible redeployment of military assets in eastern NATO nations like Poland and the Baltic states.