KIEV, August 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Talks between Ukraine and Russia in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, on Tuesday were fruitless, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told a government meeting on Wednesday.

No results had been expected from the meeting, but the event had to take place, he added.

Ukraine currently faces three challenges — war, exchange rate and energy, the premier said, adding that the first could be settled only by restoring control over the border with Russia.

Ukraine's cooperation with NATO

Yatsenyuk said the government would debate a plan for developing cooperation with NATO. “The Ukrainian president will attend the NATO summit in Wales on September 4-5,” the prime minister said.

“NATO is our partner. We expect the Western countries and NATO to provide practical assistance. We also expect decisions to be made at the NATO summit,” he said.

Deterioration of Ukrainian currency

Ukraine's currency breached the psychological barrier in exchange rate trading on Wednesday, with the rate of 14 hryvnia to the US dollar, Ukrainian media reported, as Yatsenyuk warned ministers that the national economy could not withstand more than 12 hryvnia for $1.