Russia suspends its mission to NATO and that of the Atlantic Alliance in Moscow – franceinfo

New tensions between Moscow and the West. Russia announced Monday, October 18 that it would suspend its mission of representation to NATO and that of NATO in Moscow. The cause ? The withdrawal at the beginning of October by the Atlantic Alliance of the accreditations of eight Russian emissaries, accused of espionage. Russia criticizes the Alliance for its ambition to extend to Ukraine and Georgia. It considers that these former Soviet republics located on its borders belong to its sphere of influence.

“Following certain measures taken by NATO, the basic conditions for working together are no longer there”Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday. He also announced “put an end to the activity of the NATO information office”. The latter is defined by the Alliance as having the mission of“improve mutual knowledge and understanding”.

In detail, Russia will indefinitely suspend its mission in Brussels with the Western military alliance, as well as the NATO mission hosted by the Belgian embassy in Moscow. The latter’s role is to liaise between the Alliance in Brussels and the Russian Defense Ministry.

This decision is another illustration of the growing tensions for several years between Russia and the West: sanctions, cross-expulsions of diplomats, accusations of electoral interference, espionage and cyber attacks attributed to Moscow.