Earlier, Stoltenberg said that the decision to expel Russian diplomats from Brussels had been made on the basis of intelligence information. At the same time, he mentioned no evidence that might prove the charges against Russia.
On October 6, NATO said it was reducing Russia’s mission at the organization from 20 staffers to 10. The accreditation of eight diplomats was revoked and two vacancies abolished. The alliance asked the Russian diplomats to leave Brussels by the end of October. On March 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia was suspending the operation of its mission to NATO altogether. Also, the activity of NATO’s Military Liaison Mission and Information Office in Moscow will be paused.