Answering a question whether NATO could confirm the discussions of possible formal talks with Russia, the NATO official referred to the December 2 statement by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg when he announced that the alliance had decided to keep channels for political contact open.
"We have nothing to add to this statement," the official said.
On Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was in favor of renewing the Russian-NATO Council, even only at the level of ambassadors.
The NATO-Russia Council's work was suspended on April 1, 2014, after the alliance's foreign ministers issued a statement condemning Crimea's reunification with Russia, which the West largely regards a "annexation."
The peninsula rejoined Russia as a result of a referendum in which over 96 percent of Crimeans voted in favor of seceding from Ukraine and reunifying with Russia.
