In a mocking tone that has become a trademark of sorts for the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov suggested that “if urgent matters arise” the alliance should contact Moscow’s embassy in Brussels, which deals exclusively with bilateral ties between Russia and Belgium. If normal relations between the alliance and Russia actually existed, one presumes there would be a host of “urgent matters” to address: Afghanistan; tensions in the Indo-Pacific region; terrorism; global migration challenges. Although no one has officially abrogated the NATO-Russia Founding Act of 1997, ever since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2014 relations between Moscow and the alliance have been in a deep freeze. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, this break is a …
