NATO-Russia relations are now at a low level, Stoltenberg says

NATO still has channels to communicate with Russia, despite Moscow's decision to suspend its mission in Brussels.

This was stated by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on the eve of the ministerial meeting in Brussels, Yevropeiska Pravda reports.

"Of course, this has become even more difficult because Russia decided to close NATO offices in Moscow. And I think we also need to understand that NATO-Russia relations are now at a low level. They weren't so difficult after the end of the Cold War," said Stoltenberg.

According to him, NATO's approach to Russia remains the same, which means reliable deterrence and defense, combined with efforts for meaningful dialogue.

"We firmly believe that when things are difficult, when we face challenges in our relations, as now, it is even more important that we talk, so NATO will continue to strive for a constructive or meaningful dialogue with Russia," he added.

As we know, on October 18, Russia announced that it was suspending its permanent mission to NATO in response to the Alliance's actions.

Russia has also decided to close the NATO military communications mission in Moscow and the NATO Information Office in Moscow.

As reported by Rubryka, NATO defense ministers intend to agree on a new master plan to protect against any potential Russian attack in several areas.