The allies of the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) issued a notice on Tuesday (November 7th) that they will officially suspend their participation in the 1990 treaty restricting the deployment of conventional armed forces in Europe, marking the disintegration of another milestone Cold War arms control agreement.
Prior to NATO's announcement of the decision, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued a statement stating that Russia had completed all procedures for withdrawing from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe on November 7, 2023 at 0:00. Western countries have repeatedly complained in the past that Russia has not complied with the provisions of the treaty.
Russia's withdrawal is the latest in a series of actions that systematically undermine European Atlantic security, "NATO's political decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, said in a statement on Tuesday.
NATO and the Warsaw Treaty Organization first signed the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe in 1990, which clearly stipulated the total amount and verification methods of various conventional weapons of the two major military groups at that time. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit passed the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Amendment Agreement in 1999. Russia approved this agreement in 2004, but NATO member countries have not yet completed the approval process.
The Wall Street Journal stated in a report on NATO's decision to suspend participation in this treaty that this move will provide more flexibility for the United States to deploy troops on NATO's north and south wings, including in neighboring Romania and Bulgaria. At the same time, Ukraine's Western allies do not need to share relevant information when deploying troops to neighboring Russia.
Russia's withdrawal from this treaty is difficult to sustain, and our alliance must respond strongly to it, "the Wall Street Journal quoted a senior US State Department official as saying. Doing nothing will send a wrong message
The official stated that the suspension of US participation in this treaty will come into effect on December 7th.
The Wall Street Journal said that with the suspension of US and NATO participation in this treaty, another milestone treaty that helped end the Cold War may come to an end.
At the beginning of its signing, the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe was regarded as the cornerstone of European security. Its main purpose is to prevent either NATO or the Warsaw Pact from gathering a large number of troops in Central Europe to launch a surprise attack on the other side. This agreement was seen as an effective measure to resolve the absolute advantage of the Warsaw Pact in conventional armed forces, especially in terms of numbers.
The treaty imposes equal restrictions on the number of tanks, armored personnel carriers, heavy artillery, combat aircraft, and attack helicopters deployed by two military groups between the Atlantic and the Ural Mountains. This action resulted in the destruction or removal of thousands of weapons and equipment at that time.
The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and the Treaty on Medium Range Missiles signed between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987 are considered the most important cornerstones that led to the end of the Cold War. The Medium Range Missile Treaty prohibits the United States and the Soviet Union from deploying land-based ballistic missiles with a range of 300 to 3400 miles.
The Wall Street Journal stated that after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, Russia, which inherited the Soviet Union, has become increasingly dominant in its attitude towards its neighbors, and has also massively gathered troops to fight two Chechen wars, violating the limit on the number of armored personnel carriers deployed on the flanks of Europe.
At the same time, Moscow is also complaining and criticizing NATO's continued eastward expansion. In 2007, Russia announced a suspension of the implementation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. Due to the absence of the need to share or report on the gathering of its forces with NATO in accordance with the treaty, Moscow's move was able to maintain the surprise surprise attack effect of the Russian army on opponents in actions such as its invasion of Georgia in 2008, occupation and annexation of Crimea in 2014, and armed intervention in eastern Ukraine.
On May 29th of this year, Russian President Putin signed a decree abolishing the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, officially notifying NATO six months in advance.
NATO member countries had different views on how to respond to Russia's actions at that time. Some countries believe that they should immediately withdraw from this treaty, but others believe that participation in this treaty should be suspended.
The Wall Street Journal reported that in the end, the faction advocating a suspension of participation gained the upper hand and made the current decision.
However, some arms control experts believe that even if Russia withdraws from this treaty, it still has significant significance without Russia's participation, as the participating countries exchange information and maintain transparency on the deployment of troops and conventional weapons, which can still play a certain role in times of geopolitical tension.