NATO has suspended all "practical civilian and military cooperation" with Russia following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea.
The move was revealed on Tuesday following a decision by NATO’s foreign ministers, who, according to Reuters, urged Vladimir Putin to "return to compliance with international law".
As a consequence of Vladimir’s Putin’s action in Ukraine, NATO and Ukraine announced via a joint statement that they would increase cooperation, including pushing through defence reforms for Russia’s neighbouring state.
Measures to be implemented by NATO are likely to include beefing up the alliance’s collective defences, as well as increased joint military exercises and a review of NATO military planning.
Although not a part of NATO, western powers are expected to send military advisers to Kiev to aid Ukrainian military training.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said: "Through its actions, Russia has undermined the principles on which our partnership is built, and has breached its own international commitments. So we cannot go on doing business as usual."