Kremlin says it was right to sever ties with NATO

MOSCOW - Russia isn't wrong for halting official dialogue with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization given its aggressiveness, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday.

"The aggressive position of NATO has never been a secret. This is a bloc that was created against our country. No peace-loving statements, no camouflage of this aggressive orientation can hide its true purpose," Peskov told a Russian TV program.

"Nothing terrible will happen if we simply abandoned these relations against the background of the aggravation of its aggressiveness, against the background of such declarations that its main task is to restrain us," he said.

Commenting on Ukraine's attempt to join NATO, Peskov said it is impossible for Russia to prevent it, but Moscow will do everything necessary to minimize the consequences in the event of Ukraine's admission.

On Monday, Moscow announced that it was suspending its Permanent Mission to NATO, the NATO Military Liaison Mission and the NATO Information Office in Moscow, in retaliation for the alliance's "unfriendly actions," including the expulsion of Russian diplomats earlier this month.