Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Grushko has chastised NATO for adhering to obsolete Cold War constructs by focusing its efforts on deterring a perceived "Eastern threat." 

Speaking in a televised interview with NTV on Saturday, Grushko added that "having come this evolutionary path, NATO actually finds itself in the situation of 1949."

The comments came amid a diplomatic row between NATO and Russia, which announced earlier this month that it was suspending its NATO mission in response to the alliance's expulsion of eight Russians.

Read more:

Moscow says NATO's new Russia plan shows it was right to cut ties