NATO and Russian ambassadors will meet in Brussels on Friday, the Western military alliance said, with discussions likely to focus on the standoff over Ukraine and on nuclear weapons.

European Union ambassadors agreed on Wednesday to impose sanctions on nine individuals and one entity accused of chemical weapons attacks, including two Russian men blamed for poisoning a former Russian double agent in Britain, two diplomats said.

“He’s like a velociraptor. He has to be boss, and if you don’t show him deference he kills you”