Russia Considering Lowering Level of Diplomatic Representation at NATO

Moscow is considering the possibility of lowering the level of diplomatic representation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to the status of charge d'affaires ad interim after current Russian permanent representative to the NATO Alexander Grushko leaves his post, the Izvestia newspaper reported on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Such a possibility is due to the fact that NATO is not inclined to constructive dialogue, and any discussions turn into accusations against the Russian side, sources in the Russian Foreign Ministry told the newspaper.

"We consider the option of leaving the charge d'affaires ad interim in Brussels after Alexander Grushko returns to Moscow," the source said.

On July 13, the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council at ambassadorial level will take place at NATO headquarters in Brussels, but Moscow has doubts that this meeting will bring any results, as the alliance "does not want to listen and hear" the Russian position and "again builds an exclusively accusatory line", trying to expose Russia as the culprit for events in Ukraine.

The first deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council's Foreign Affairs Committee, Vladimir Dzhabarov, told the publication that possible Russia's measures will be justified, considering the refusal of the alliance to cooperate with Moscow. At the same time, in his opinion, changes in NATO's position should not be ruled out due a difficult situation in the world.