NATO will still seek channels with Russia despite spy dispute

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference ahead of a meeting of NATO defence ministers at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 20, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that the alliance would still need to talk to Russia after Moscow suspended its diplomatic mission to the alliance over an espionage dispute.

That means relying on a hotline between Russia's chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov, and Tod Wolters, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, as well as Stoltenberg's meetings with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, officials and diplomats said.