• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov's answer to a media question on launching the denunciation of the CFE

10 May 2023 19:11
889-10-05-2023

Question: Today, the President of the Russian Federation signed a directive on your appointment as his representative at the review of the denunciation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) by both chambers of the Federal Assembly. This suggests the conclusion that Russia will soon withdraw from this treaty. Why did Russia take such a step now? After all, it suspended this treaty many years ago.

Sergey Ryabkov: This issue is long overdue. The treaty was signed in 1990 and entered in force in 1992. It has become desperately obsolete. The agreement on adaptation drafted at Russia's insistence and signed in 1999 has become invalid due to the destructive position of the US and other NATO members. The NATO countries were de facto obviating the treaty by moving eastward. This is why we had to suspend it in 2007. That said, we left the door open, giving the Western countries an opportunity to reconsider their attitude to the treaty and show common sense. But there was little common sense in the West even at that time and the situation did not improve.

Recently, Helsinki and Stockholm applied for NATO membership. Finland joined NATO and signed an agreement with the US, which created a foundation for deploying American troops on Finnish territory. These events have substantially worsened the military-political situation in Europe. Under the circumstances, the CFE Treaty has finally become a vestige of the past.

Hence, the President of Russia made a decision to submit a draft law on denunciation of the treaty to the Federal Assembly. Without anticipating the decision by the chambers, I would like to note that in ratifying the Agreement on Adaptation of the CFE Treaty in 2004, the State Duma adopted a statement reflecting the opinion of the deputies on a number of issues related to the treaty. It said that in the event of extraordinary circumstances that might threaten the supreme interests of the Russian Federation, the Duma would take political, diplomatic and other measures to eliminate such circumstances, and if necessary, the Duma would take measures affecting the CFE Treaty regime and the Adaptation Agreement in accordance with the Federal Law on the International Treaties of the Russian Federation. These afore-mentioned circumstances include "a radical change of the military-political situation" compared to 2004.

Apparently, it is time to take such measures.