Russia says some NATO cooperation frozen

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A senior Russian military official confirmed on Friday that Russia’s Defense Ministry had frozen some cooperation with the NATO military alliance and queried the merits of a U.S. Navy operation in the Black Sea.

“We are indeed refraining from taking part in such activities. It is a step we are forced to take, we did not initiate this situation,” said Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of the Russian military’s General Staff, when asked about freezing cooperation with NATO.

When asked about a U.S. warship due to deliver humanitarian supplies to Georgia, Nogovitsyn said: “From the Russian point of view… The usefulness of this operation is extremely dubious.”