With Russia’s withdrawal, NATO officially suspended the Cold War-era treaty

Most of NATO’s 31 allies are signatories to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), which aims to prevent the Cold War rivals from massing forces on or near their borders. It was signed in November 1990, but was not fully ratified until two years later.

NATO said its action was necessary because a situation where the alliance’s countries were abiding by the treaty and Russia was not would be unsustainable.

Earlier on Tuesday, Moscow said it had completed the process of withdrawing from the CFE. The long-anticipated move comes after both houses of Russia’s parliament approved a bill proposed by President Vladimir Putin to declare the treaty void. V. Putin signed the law in May of this year.

It is one of several important Cold War-era treaties between Russia and the United States that have lapsed in recent years. In 2007, Russia suspended its participation, and in 2015 announced its intention to completely withdraw from the CFE.

In February 2022, Moscow sent hundreds of thousands of Russian troops into neighboring Ukraine, which also borders NATO members Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary.

On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the process of officially withdrawing from the CFE has been completed. For the withdrawal, Moscow blames the United States and its allies, as well as the West’s supposedly destructive position on the treaty.

“We have left the door open to dialogue on ways to restore the viability of conventional arms control in Europe,” the statement said. “However, our opponents did not take advantage of this opportunity.”

The statement also said that even formally preserving the treaty had become unacceptable in terms of Russia’s essential security interests, citing events in Ukraine and NATO’s recent expansion.

NATO said in Brussels that CFE signatory allies intend to suspend the treaty for as long as necessary, in accordance with their rights under international law.

The Alliance emphasized that its members remain committed to reducing military risks and preventing misunderstandings and conflicts, and added that states will continue to consult on the current security environment and its impact on the Alliance’s security, and assess the consequences.