Updated 4:15 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, September 12 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko said Friday he saw no reason for the Russia-NATO Council to convene.
"After the [NATO] summit in Wales, I simply cannot think of an issue of importance to discuss," he said.
"Moreover, we did not sever our cooperation ties with NATO, and if NATO wants to discuss anything with us, we will see if convoking this institution would be worthwhile," Grushko added.
At the Wales summit on September 4-5, NATO countries approved plans to establish a 4,000-rapid-reaction force to be based in Eastern Europe in response to Russia's policy in Ukraine.
"I'm convinced that NATO's attention towards the Ukrainian events can be primarily explained by geopolitical reasons and not the interests of stabilizing Ukraine," Grushko said during the Moscow-Brussels video-linkup hosted by International Information Agency Rossiya Segodnya.
NATO has used the crisis in Ukraine as a lever to pressure allies and "make a geopolitical turn," he said.
The military alliance has also been ratcheting up its presence near Russia's borders, citing the need to better defend its allies. NATO intensified its air patrols in the Baltic countries, deployed AWACS surveillance planes over Poland and Romania and sent its warships to the Black and Mediterranean seas.
In April, NATO suspended cooperation with Russia over Moscow's alleged role in escalating the crisis in Ukraine, something Russia has repeatedly denied.
