00:22 GMT +317 February 2019

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit at the NATO headquarters, in Brussels, on May 25, 2017

NATO Wants 'Sensible' Relations With Russia - Merkel

© AFP 2018 / Emmanuel DUNAND

12:47 07.07.2018(updated 13:02 07.07.2018) Get short URL

BERLIN (Sputnik) - NATO member states would like to have sensible relations with Russia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday ahead of NATO summit in Brussels scheduled for the next week.

"We would like equally to have reasonable relations with Russia. That is why negotiations in the Russia-NATO Council will always take place," Merkel said.

According to the German Chancellor, the alliance should show determination to defend itself.

"We need NATO as a guarantor of our security, including as of a transatlantic alliance, in the 21st century as well," Merkel said in a video address released on the German government's website.

READ MORE: Trump Lambasts Germany Over Russian Oil Purchases, Low Defense Expenditures

November 11, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, right, are seen here ahead of the first working meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders

© Sputnik / Mikhael Klimentyev

NATO Alarmed Over Future Trump-Putin Agreements 'Uncoordinated' With Bloc – Reports

Earlier this week, some NATO officials reportedly voiced concerns that the bloc's member states were not included in the planning of the Putin-Trump meeting in Helsinki.

US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman revealed that Trump viewed the forthcoming summit in Helsinki as a step that would help ease tensions between the two countries.

NATO Summit in Belgium will be held on July 11 — 12 in Brussels, Belgium.

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: Italy Intends to Endorse New Chapter in NATO-Russia Ties – Under-Sec of State

: NATO Ex-Chief: Russia Could Defeat Ukraine in 'Several Days'

: Mattis: NATO Will Never 'Turn Off' Dialogue With Russia Despite Tensions

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relations, NATO, Angela Merkel, Germany, Russia

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