NATO-Russia communication lines remain open - Russian official

FILE PHOTO: Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko gives a news conference after a meeting at NATO headquarters between Russian ministers and alliance diplomats, at the Russian embassy, in Brussels, Belgium January 12, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman


Channels of telephone communication between Russia and NATO remain open but normal diplomatic relations between the two sides are out of the question, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Friday.

Relations between Moscow and the U.S.-led Atlantic alliance are at post-Cold War lows following Russia's decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year in what it calls a "special military operation".