Russia has announced the suspension of diplomatic ties with NATO
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has announced the suspension of diplomatic ties with NATO, and the closure of its diplomatic mission and information office in Moscow from November 1.
⚡️ #Statement on response measures to #NATO decisions regarding the @natomission_ru:
❗️ The activities of the @NATO Military Liaison Mission Moscow shall be suspended.
❗️ The @NATOmoscowR at the Belgium Embassy in Moscow shall be closed down.
🔗 https://t.co/BoPlvLh3J9 pic.twitter.com/3w3kOjH5EC
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) October 18, 2021
Moscow has announced that it will completely suspend the operations of its mission to NATO, two weeks after the US-led bloc expelled eight Russian diplomats for alleged ‘undisclosed espionage’ at its Brussels headquarters.
Speaking on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also revealed that the NATO information bureau in Moscow will be forced to shut down as part of retaliatory measures.
Earlier this month, NATO officials decided to slash the size of the permanent Russian delegation to the bloc, revoking the credenitals of eight envoys, in response to what it called “suspected malign Russian activities.”
Going forward, any contact that NATO wishes to initiate with Russia will have to go through the Russian Federation’s office in Belgium.