NATO Suspends Key Security Treaty as Russia Withdraws

Facts

• NATO allies will suspend participation in a key Cold War-era security treaty aimed at limiting the proliferation of conventional weapons after Russia officially pulled out of the pact.¹
• Russia formally withdrew from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) on Tuesday at midnight, according to a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Russia had previously signed a decree denouncing the pact in May.²
• The key arms control treaty 'has finally become history for Russia,' Russia's Foreign Ministry said in its statement, adding that the pact doesn't correspond to the country's 'security interests' in light of the continuous expansion of US-led NATO toward Russia’s borders. Most recently, NATO has accepted Finland's membership and is considering Sweden's application.³
• Condemning Moscow's decision to withdraw from the pact as its latest step to undermine Euro-Atlantic security, the military alliance said it would suspend the CFE's operation 'for as long as necessary,' a decision supported by all NATO members and 'in accordance with their rights under international law.'⁴
• Russia suspended its participation in the treaty — signed in 1990 and ratified two years later — in 2007 and ended its active participation in 2015. The CFE was created to restrict military buildups on borders in Europe to maintain military balance between NATO and the then countries of the Warsaw Pact.⁵
• This comes as Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin last week signed a bill revoking his country's ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, a move he said would establish parity with the US. China and the US are among the states that have signed but not ratified the treaty.⁶

Sources: ¹DW, ²Al Jazeera, ³The Moscow Times, ⁴Reuters, ⁵The Print and ⁶Arms Control Association.

Narratives

• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. The reaction of the US-controlled NATO war alliance to Moscow's decision once again illustrates the collective West's cognitive dissonance. It's NATO that has openly undermined the CFE Treaty through its continuous expansion toward Russia and attaches no relevance to the principle of collective security. Washington is gradually destroying the international security architecture in an attempt to militarily control its crumbling hegemony. Moscow is no longer willing to watch the US proxy war against Russia without taking action.
• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by VOA. Russia's move left NATO with no choice but to also pull out of the CFE Treaty. The Russian regime's decision is the latest evidence of its blatant disregard for arms control and the basic principles of reciprocity and transparency. The CFE Treaty was fundamental to the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, and by withdrawing, Moscow is undermining the rules-based international order. As the leader of the free world, Washington must seize the opportunity to reshape its military posture to counter Russian foreign aggression.

Predictions