On Nov. 6, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that it would be withdrawing from the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE), effective Nov. 7. At midnight on November 7, 2023, the procedure planned under the CFE for Russia’s withdrawal from this agreement was completed. Thus, the international legal document, the operation of which was suspended by our country in 2007, has become history for Russia once and for all…. Given the direct responsibility of NATO countries for fuelling the Ukraine conflict, as well as the accession of Finland to the alliance and the ongoing consideration of a similar application by Sweden, even the formal preservation of the CFE Treaty has become unacceptable from the standpoint of Russia’s core security interests.”
Originally signed in 1990, the CFE Treaty was designed to limit the deployment of conventional arms and equipment in Europe, and was intended to prevent any conventional military buildup by either of the two rival powers for a sudden attack on the other. The treaty has been effectively defunct for years, despite the fact that both the U.S. and Russia technically were still signatories. Following an updated version in 1999, the U.S. and NATO countries never ratified the new version, and Russia suspended its ratification in 2007.
Immediately following Russia’s formal withdrawal, both the U.S. and NATO condemned the move and then followed suit. “Russia’s withdrawal from the treaty is unsustainable and requires a strong response from the alliance,” said a senior State Department official, adding that “taking no action would send the wrong message.” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Russia’s withdrawal from the treaty “further demonstrates Moscow’s continued disregard for arms control.” A statement from NATO said that Russia’s decision “undermines the rules based international order.”
Despite the fact that the treaty was no longer followed, it may have still played some role in security between NATO and Russia. According to Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association: “The accord still provides important transparency and verification mechanisms. Each year, the member states exchange data about their military holding on conventional weapons, and that it is useful for all sides, especially at a time of heightened tension.”
Reporting on these developments, the Wall Street Journal makes the point that with the CFE Treaty no longer in operation, the U.S. will have more freedom in deploying its forces in and around NATO. Under the CFE Treaty, the signatories had to abide by certain limitations, such as the number of troops and other “complicated procedures,” as well as the sharing of information with their adversary. This will no longer be required.
As other Cold War era arms control treaties are being abandoned, such as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), from which Russia withdrew its ratification but not its commitment last month, and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, from which both Russia and the U.S. withdrew in 2019, the pattern of the growing danger of war should be clear.
