Russia has already withdrawn from a number of disarmament agreements – as of today this also applies to the CFE Treaty. NATO reacted promptly: it put its participation in the arms control treaty on hold.
Following Russia’s final withdrawal from the Conventional Forces in Europe Disarmament Treaty (CFE Treaty), NATO suspended the agreement. A situation in which the alliance states adhered to the treaty and Russia did not would be intolerable, NATO said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry had recently announced that more than five months after President Vladimir Putin signed the decision, the formal withdrawal process was completed today. The withdrawal has now become legally effective.
Russia criticizes “destructive attitude”
What this process specifically entailed was not explained in more detail. The statement blamed the move on the US and its allies and their alleged “destructive attitude” towards the CFE Treaty.
The CFE Treaty was signed in 1990 and aimed to limit the stationing of troops on the European continent. Most NATO countries have signed the agreement. The alliance also announced that these signatory states would now put their participation on hold for as long as necessary. This also includes Germany, as the Foreign Office confirmed.
The exit was announced in 2015
Russia had already suspended implementation of the treaty in 2007. In 2015 – after the annexation of Crimea – it announced its intention to exit completely. The Russian Foreign Ministry said attempts were made to keep the door open for dialogue on restoring a control mechanism for conventional weapons. “However, our opponents did not take advantage of this opportunity.” Even formally maintaining the treaty has become unacceptable in view of Russian security interests.
Russia has withdrawn from a number of disarmament agreements in recent years – partly in response to US moves. Most recently, Moscow withdrew its ratification of the Global Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).