NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, second left, speaks with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, center right, and Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, center left, prior to the NATO-Russia Council at NATO headquarters, in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. Senior NATO and Russian officials are meeting Wednesday to try to bridge seemingly irreconcilable differences over the future of Ukraine, amid deep skepticism that Russian President Vladimir Putin's security proposals for easing tensions are genuine. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)