The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the Russian decision to halt the work of its diplomatic mission to NATO in retaliation for the expulsion of eight Russians accused of espionage is a recognition of the fact that Moscow had no ties to the coalition.
Russia said on Monday it would halt the activities of its diplomatic mission to NATO and that employees of NATO’s military mission in Moscow would be stripped of their accreditation from November 1 and the coalition’s information office in the Russian capital would be closed.
“The situation that actually existed has now been formally legalised,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “There were no relations (between Russia and NATO.) … We will not suffer from this.”