Russia says it will suspend the operations of its mission at NATO headquarters in Brussels in response to the Western security alliance's move to expel eight members of Russia's mission earlier this month.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on October 18 that the operations will be suspended as of November 1. He added that the NATO Secretariat was notified of the steps taken by the Russian side. According to Lavrov, if NATO had any questions for Russia, representatives of the alliance can turn to its ambassador to Belgium. He did not lay out any conditions for the possible resumption of work at the missions.

In a short statement, NATO said it regretted Russia's move.

"We have taken note of the decision by Russia to suspend the work of its diplomatic mission to NATO, and of NATO's military liaison mission in Moscow, and to close down NATO's information mission in Moscow. We regret these steps. NATO's policy towards Russia remains consistent. We have strengthened our deterrence and defense in response to Russia's aggressive actions, while at the same time we remain open to dialogue, including through the NATO-Russia Council." NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said.