MOSCOW, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia will resume cooperation with NATO in the military sphere if the United States admits its wrong-doings that caused the broke-up of bilateral ties and apologizes for that, a senior Russian officer said on Tuesday.

    "It is necessary that the U.S. should explain us reasons, for which it disrupted these relations unilaterally and gave up the dialogue and bring apologies for this and give clear signals on willingness to restore cooperation," Itar-Tass news agency quoted Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, as saying.

    The senior officer made the remarks when commenting on a statement by NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe John Craddock on the need for restoring cooperation between the U.S.-led alliance and Russia in the military sphere.

    NATO foreign ministers decided to suspend high-level contacts with Russia last August, accusing Russia of "disproportionate use of force" in Georgia. In response, Russia halted cooperation with NATO's Moscow office and called off the NATO chief's visit to Moscow.

    In early December, NATO foreign ministers authorized NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to gradually resume political contacts with Moscow.