The NATO military mission will suspend the work of the alliance's information bureau in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. This is how the Kremlin responded to the reduction of its mission to NATO.
In addition, Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, stressed that in the event of Ukraine's accession to NATO, which would be the «worst case scenario», Russia will be forced to «take active measures» to protect itself.
Harry Tabah, a former alliance spokesman in Russia, a first-ranking retired U.S. Navy captain, explained the consequences of such a scenario for Ukraine.
«Previously, there were many joint programs that we (NATO and Russia – Ed.) Conducted – this is training, a great role was played by the fight against terrorism. We did a lot. However, everything has changed since 2008, after the military conflict with Georgia. Even then, the work became clumsy and nothing was done, and after the Crimea and Donbass, it completely stopped. I see this as a political step that «we have no political common future with the West». It is noteworthy that this happened after the visit of Victoria Nuland (US Deputy Secretary of State – ed.), It is clear that they realized that nothing can be agreed. The delayed post-representation has existed for more than 10 years, since the war in Georgia, and now it is clear that the suspension of its work will be long,» Tabah said.
As the ex-representative noted, «active measures» in response to Ukraine's entry into the alliance, which are being talked about in Russia, can mean anything.
«When one man commands, you don't know what to expect. Maybe they will enter into an even bigger coalition with Iran, North Korea, some other Arab countries and will create chaos in Syria. They can provoke even greater military activity on the borders with Ukraine. They can arrange a full boycott of Ukraine or occupy the entire territory of Belarus. In fact, Russia's actions are difficult to predict, to do mischief – they are masters in this matter,» Tabah said.
«As previously reported by the US Defense Department, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin is scheduled to visit Georgia, Ukraine and Romania next week, during which the Pentagon chief will emphasize in both Georgia and Ukraine that NATO's doors are open and will call on countries to contribute. Changes are needed so that they can apply for membership in the defense alliance,» the service said.
