Russia has officially withdrawn from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty) at midnight on November 7, 2023, the country’s foreign ministry said, citing NATO’s expansion and the failure of the United States to ratify an adaptation of the treaty as reasons for its withdrawal.
In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the CFE Treaty had become “obsolete” and was no longer in line with Russia’s security interests. The ministry also accused the United States of “undermining” the treaty by failing to ratify an adaptation agreement that was negotiated in the late 1990s.
“Russia bids farewell to the CFE Treaty without regret and with full conviction that it is doing the right thing. The positive and negative experiences gained during its creation and implementation will be taken into account,” the minister stated.
The CFE treaty was a landmark arms control agreement signed in 1990 to limit conventional weapons, including tanks, artillery, and armoured vehicles, in Europe. The treaty was also meant to help ease tensions between the former Soviet Union and NATO.
