MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. Communication channels between the militaries of Russia and NATO, specifically the telephone line between the Russian General Staff and the alliance’s Command, remain open, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Rossiya-24 television on Friday.

"So far, military communication channels [with NATO], in particular the telephone line between Chief of the General Staff [Valery Gerasimov] and the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, the chair of the NATO Military Committee, are still available. Our Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium [Alexander Tokovinin] has also been instructed to engage with the headquarters, when the need arises," Grushko said.

"As for NATO, it is more than clear: Since about 2011, we have already observed a serious departure of the alliance from the principles that were enshrined in the fundamental documents governing relations between Russia and NATO," the diplomat added.

According to Grushko, such behavior of the alliance led to the fact that Russia was declared a direct threat, which is why there can no longer be talk of interaction, human contacts and dialogue.