Russia has decided to suspend its permanent mission to NATO in Brussels as from 1 November 2021. This was announced on Monday (18 October) by Russian foreign minister, Sergej Lavrov who said the withdrawal was in response to the expulsion of eight members of the mission earlier this month.
On 6 October, NATO expelled eight of the eighteen members of the Russian NATO mission in Brussels. According to NATO, they were secretly working for Russian intelligence services.
If NATO wants to contact Moscow "urgently", Lavrov said, it can do so through the Russian embassy in Brussels. "NATO is neither interested in an equal dialogue nor in cooperation", he said.
Lavrov also announced steps against NATO's mission in Moscow. The entire staff of the NATO mission in Moscow must leave the city. Their accreditation will be revoked.
