Russia’s withdrawal from the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty has prompted the United States and its NATO allies to suspend this crucial agreement, which regulated the deployment of military vehicles and weapons in Europe.
White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan announced that the U.S. will formally halt its participation in the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty on December 7
For instance, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Ministry will suspend its operation on February 7, 2024. Signed in 1990, the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty leveled the military playing field in Europe by imposing equivalent restrictions on the amount of military hardware that NATO and the USSR’s Warsaw Pact could station between Russia’s Ural mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean. This encompassed heavy artillery, tanks, and combat aircraft, as reported by the Arms Control Association.
NATO has expressed strong disapproval of Russia’s decision to exit the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty, citing a continued pattern of noncompliance with arms control principles. They highlighted Russia’s failure to uphold principles of reciprocity, transparency, compliance, verification, and host nation consent, and emphasized that this undermines the established international order.
NATO members have committed to suspending the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty “for as long as necessary”
Russia’s move to withdraw from the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty comes over a year and a half after it invaded Ukraine. The Russian foreign ministry conveyed that the country is bidding farewell to the CFE Treaty without remorse and with unwavering conviction in the correctness of its decision.
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