View source for Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe

{{Infobox treaty
|name=Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
|date_signed={{Start date|1990|11|19|df=y}}
|location_signed=[[Paris]], France
|date_effective=July 17, 1992
|condition_effective=[[Ratification]] by [[NATO]] and [[Warsaw Pact]] member countries
|date_expiry={{End date|2007|04|26|df=y}}
|signatories=
* {{flagicon|Bulgaria|1990}} [[Bulgaria]]
* {{flagicon|Czechoslovakia|1990}} [[Czechoslovakia]]
* {{flagicon|Hungary|1990}} [[Hungary]]
* {{flagicon|Poland|1990}} [[Poland]]
* {{flagicon|Romania|1990}} [[Romania]]
*{{flagicon|USSR|1990}} [[Soviet Union]] <hr/>
* {{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Belgium]]
* {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Canada]]
* {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Denmark]]
* {{flagicon|France}} [[France]]
* {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Germany]]
* {{flagicon|Greece}} [[Greece]]
* {{flagicon|Iceland}} [[Iceland]]
* {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Italy]]
* {{flagicon|Luxembourg}} [[Luxembourg]]
* {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Netherlands]]
* {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Norway]]
* {{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Portugal]]
* {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Spain]]
* {{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Turkey]]
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[United Kingdom]]
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States]]
}}

The original '''Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe''' ('''CFE''') was negotiated and concluded during the last years of the [[Cold War]] and established comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment in [[Europe]] (from the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] to the [[Ural Mountains|Urals]]) and mandated the destruction of excess weaponry. The treaty proposed equal limits for the two "groups of states-parties", the [[NATO|North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO) and the [[Warsaw Pact]]. In 2007, Russia "suspended" its participation in the treaty, and on 10 March 2015, citing NATO's ''de facto'' breach of the Treaty, Russia formally announced it was "completely" halting its participation in it as of the next day.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/newsline/DF4749F53CF96B4043257E040058061A|title = Заявление руководителя Делегации Российской Федерации на переговорах в Вене по вопросам военной безопасности и контроля над вооружениями|author = А.Ю.Мазура|work = |date = 10 March 2015|publisher = RF Foreign Ministry website}}</ref>

==History==

===Background===
In 1972, US president [[Richard Nixon]] and Soviet General Secretary [[Leonid Brezhnev]] reached a compromise agreement to hold separate political and military negotiations.<ref name=FAS2>FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS, [https://fas.org/nuke/control/cfe/cfebook/chrono.html "Chronology: CFE Treaty Negotiations and Implementation, 1972-1996"], n.d.</ref> The [[Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe]] (CSCE) would deal with political issues, and [[Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions]] (MBFR) with military issues. The CSCE resulted in 1975 in 35 nations signing the concluding document: the Helsinki Final Act. Negotiations for MBFR were stalled by the USSR in 1979 because of NATO's decision to deploy new intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe. In 1986, Soviet General Secretary [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] proposed in the context of MBFR negotiations to reduce ground and air forces, and to include conventional and nuclear weapons from the Atlantic to the Urals. This proposal was later that year formalized during a Warsaw Treaty meeting. NATO's [[North Atlantic Council]] of foreign ministers issued the Brussels Declaration on Conventional Arms Control, which called for two distinct sets of negotiations: one to build on the Confidence and Security-Building Measures (CSBM) results of the Stockholm Conference and the other to establish conventional stability in Europe through negotiations on conventional arms control from the Atlantic to the Urals (ATTU). In 1987, the Stockholm Document entered into force and provided for the first time for a negotiated right to conduct on-site inspections of military forces in the field.

Informal talks between the 16 NATO and the 7 Warsaw Treaty nations began in Vienna on February 17, 1987 on a mandate for conventional negotiations in Europe, which would set out treaty negotiating guidelines.<ref name=FAS2/> Several months later, on June 27, NATO presented a draft mandate during the 23-nation conference in Vienna. The mandate called for elimination of force disparities, capability for surprise attack, and large-scale offensive operations, and the establishment of an effective verification system. Meanwhile, in December the [[INF Treaty]] between the United States and the Soviet Union was signed, effectively allowing mutual inspections. During the May–June 1988 Moscow Summit, US President [[Ronald Reagan]] and General Secretary Gorbachev emphasized the importance of stability and security in Europe, specifically calling for data exchange, verification of these data, and then reductions. In December Gorbachev announced at the [[United Nations]] a unilateral withdrawal of 50,000 troops from Eastern Europe, and demobilization of 500,000 Soviet troops.

===CFE negotiations===
In January 1989, NATO and the Warsaw Treaty members produced the Mandate for the Negotiation on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. The mandate set out objectives for the CFE Treaty and established negotiating principles, and formal negotiations began on March 9, 1989 in Vienna. When US President [[George H.W. Bush]] and France's President [[François Mitterrand]] met in May, Bush announced the acceptance of reductions of combat aircraft and helicopters. He also proposed a ceiling of 275,000 personnel stationed in Europe by the US and Soviet Union. Bush's proposal was formally adopted during the 1989 Brussels [[NATO summit]] and subsequently presented in Vienna. In November the [[Berlin Wall]] fell and in the following months revolutions broke out in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Bush and Gorbachev agreed to speed up arms control and economic negotiations. Bush proposed even steeper reductions, and the Soviet Union negotiated and concluded troop withdrawal agreements with Warsaw Treaty states.

In addition, at the time, [[German reunification]] were underway, which would lead to the [[Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany]]. The treaty was linked to the CFE treaty by specifying that certain military limits imposed on Germany would come into force upon the conclusion of the CFE Treaty.<ref>http://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/2plusfour8994e.htm</ref>

==Status==

===Signed===
[[Image:NATO vs Warsaw 1990.PNG|400px|right|thumb|All members of the two blocs (NATO in blue, Warsaw Treaty in red) signed the CFE treaty in 1990.]]
The Treaty was signed in [[Paris]] on November 19, 1990 by 22 states.<ref name=STATE.GOV>US DEPARTMENT OF STATE, [http://www.state.gov/t/ac/rls/fs/11243.htm "Fact Sheet: Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty"], June 18, 2002</ref> These were divided into two groups: 
*the then-16 NATO members: [[Belgium]], [[Canada]], [[Denmark]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Iceland]], [[Italy]], [[Luxembourg]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Norway]], [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[Turkey]], [[United Kingdom]], and the [[United States]].
*the then-six Warsaw Treaty states: [[Bulgaria]], [[Czechoslovakia]], [[Hungary]], [[Poland]], [[Romania]], and the [[Soviet Union]]

===Ratification===
[[Image:Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe 1992.PNG|400px|right|thumb|The CFE treaty members of 1992 differ from the signatories in 1990 due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the split of Czechoslovakia.]]
In 1991 the USSR and the Warsaw Treaty dissolved and Czechoslovakia was in the middle of splitting into the [[Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia]], which explains why the treaty was ratified by 30 rather than 22 states:<ref name=FAS/>
*The then-16 NATO members
*The eight former USSR republics that have territory west of the Urals, and the other six former Warsaw Treaty members. These former USSR republics include [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Belarus]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Moldova]], [[Russia]], and [[Ukraine]]. The six Warsaw Treaty members include: [[Bulgaria]], [[Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia]], [[Hungary]], [[Poland]], [[Romania]]. The former non-USSR Warsaw Treaty members (but Albania) and the three Baltic states became NATO members in 1999 or 2004. In 1994 several former USSR republics formed the [[Collective Security Treaty Organization]] (CSTO). As of 2006 the following countries are CSTO members: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia and Uzbekistan.
 
The treaty entered into force on July 17, 1992.<ref name=FA/> Russia notified other signatories of its [[#Suspension by Russia|intended suspension]] of the CFE on July 14, 2007.

===Amendment===
On May 31, 1996, the treaty was amended by the so-called flank agreement, which relaxed the restrictions for Russia and Ukraine in the flank region defined in Article V, subparagraph 1(A) of the treaty.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osce.org/documents/doclib/1996/05/13755_en.pdf|title=Final Document of the First Conference to Review the Operation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and the Concluding Act of the Negotiation on Personnel Strength|accessdate=2009-03-06}}</ref>

==Content==

===Troop ceilings===
The CFE Treaty set equal ceilings for each bloc (NATO and the Warsaw Treaty Organization), from the Atlantic to the Urals, on key armaments essential for conducting surprise attacks and initiating large-scale offensive operations. Collectively, the treaty participants agreed that neither side could have more than:<ref name=FA/>
* 20,000 tanks;
* 20,000 artillery pieces;
* 30,000 armoured combat vehicles (ACVs);
* 6,800 combat aircraft; and
* 2,000 attack helicopters.

To further limit the readiness of armed forces, the treaty set equal ceilings on equipment that could be deployed with active units. Other ground equipment had to be place in designated permanent storage sites. The limits for equipment each side could have in active units were:<ref name=FA/>
* 16,500 tanks;
* 17,000 artillery pieces; and
* 27,300 armoured combat vehicles (ACVs);

The treaty further limited the proportion of armaments that could be held by any one country in Europe to about one-third of the total for all countries in Europe - the "sufficiency" rule. These limits were:<ref name=FA/>
* 13,300 tanks;
* 13,700 artillery pieces;
* 20,000 armoured combat vehicles (ACVs);
* 5,150 combat aircraft; and
* 1,550 attack helicopters.

All sea-based Naval forces were excluded from CFE Treaty accountability.<ref name=NAVY/>

===Regional arrangements===
In addition to limits on the number of armaments in each category on each side, the treaty included regional limits intended to prevent destabilizing force concentrations of ground equipment.<ref name=NAVY>NAVY TREATY IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM, [http://www.ntip.navy.mil/conventional_forces_europe.shtml "Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty"], n.d.</ref>

===Destruction===
To meet required troop ceilings, equipment had to be destroyed or, if possible, converted to non-military purposes.<ref name=FA/>

===Verification===
The treaty included unprecedented provisions for detailed information exchanges, on-site inspections, challenge inspections, and on-site monitoring of destruction.<ref name=FA/> Treaty parties received an unlimited right to monitor the process of destruction. Satellite surveillance was used to verify placement and progress on destruction of large military equipment like vehicles and tanks.<ref name="KM2006">{{Citation
| author = Mitslal Kifleyesus-Matschie
| url = http://d-nb.info/982717725/34
| title = The role of Verification in International Relations: 1945-1993
| publisher = 
| year = 2006
| page = 112
}}</ref>

===Joint Consultative Group===
Finally, the Treaty established in [[Vienna]] a body composed of all Treaty members, which was called the Joint Consultative Group (JCG),<ref name=FAS>FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS, [https://fas.org/nuke/control/cfe/index.html "Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE)"], n.d.</ref> and which dealt with questions relating to compliance with the provisions of the Treaty. The group aimed to:<ref>OSCE, [http://www.osce.org/item/13517.html "Joint Consultative Group"], n.d.</ref>
* Resolve ambiguities and differences in interpretation
* Consider measures that enhance the Treaty's viability and effectiveness
* Resolve technical questions
* Look into disputes that may arise from the Treaty's implementation

==Implementation==
After the treaty entered into force, a 4-month baseline inspection period began. Twenty-five percent of the destruction had to be completed by the end of 1 year, 60% by the end of 2 years, and all destruction required by the treaty completed by the end of 3 years.

The principal accomplishment was the large-scale reduction or destruction of conventional military equipment in the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains (ATTU) region during the first 5 years the Treaty was in effect.<ref name=STATE.GOV/> By the end of the Treaty's reduction period in 1995, when equipment limits took effect, the 30 States Parties completed and verified by inspection the destruction or conversion of over 52,000 battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery pieces, combat aircraft and attack helicopters. In addition, they have conducted/accepted over 4,000 intrusive on-site inspections of military units/installations, and of specified areas.

NATO mostly fulfilled its obligations by destroying its oldest equipment. Also, NATO members with newer equipment, such as the United States, agreed to transfer some of this equipment to allies with older equipment.<ref name=FA/>

===Compliance problems===

====NATO====
The US plans to create bases in Romania and Bulgaria constituted, according to Russia, a breach of the treaty.<ref>J. COOPER, [http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/news/for_washington_5_500_u_s_troops_are_hardly_any_but_1_200_russian_troops_must_go.html "Washington calls 5,500 U.S. troops "hardly any" but 1,200 Russians in PMR must go"] in ''The Tiraspol Times'', June 13, 2007</ref> NATO officials disputed this and stated that the US bases were not intended as permanent and thus could not be seen as a breach. However, it was then reported that the agreements signed with both Romania and Bulgaria in 2006 specifically allowed for ''permanent'' bases under direct American control and ''[[The Washington Times]]'' also had obtained the confirmation of a senior US official that the facilities were intended to be permanent.<ref>http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/apr/24/20060424-121528-1841r/?page=all</ref>

====Former Soviet republics====
A June 1998 Clinton administration report stated that Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan were not in compliance with the CFE treaty.<ref>W. BOESE, [http://www.armscontrol.org/act/1998_06-07/cfejj98.asp "CFE Compliance Report Issued; Treaty Adaptation Talks Continue"] in ''Arms Control Today'', June/July 1998</ref> Violations ranged from holdings of treaty-limited equipment (TLE) in excess of CFE ceilings to denial of full access during treaty inspections. The report concluded that the compliance issues were not "militarily significant" and Russia and Ukraine, the former USSR republics with the largest holdings among the Eastern bloc, remained within their treaty limits.

In the run-up to the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]]'s (OSCE) November [[1999 Istanbul summit]], NATO members perceived three treaty compliance problems.<ref name=NATO1>NATO, [http://www.nato.int/issues/arms_control/cfe_qa_factsheet.pdf "Questions and Answers on CFE"], n.d., p. 2</ref> First of all, the continuing existence of Russian equipment holdings in the "flank" region (i.e. Russia's [[North Caucasus Military District]]) were in excess of agreed treaty limits. Secondly, the Russian military presence in Georgia was beyond the level authorised by the Georgian authorities. Thirdly, the Russian military presence in Moldova lacked the explicit consent of the Moldovan authorities.

During the summit, 30 OSCE members signed the [[adapted CFE treaty]] and Russia assumed an obligation to withdraw from the Republic of [[Moldova]], reduce her equipment levels in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and agree with the Georgian authorities on the modalities and duration of the Russian forces stationed on the territory of Georgia, and reduce their forces in the flanks to the agreed levels of the Adapted CFE Treaty.<ref name=NATO1/> These agreements became known as the "Istanbul Commitments" and were contained in 14 Annexes to the CFE Final Act and within the 1999 Istanbul Summit Declaration.

NATO members however refused to ratify the treaty as long as Russia refused, as they saw it, to completely withdraw its troops from Moldovan and Georgian soil.<ref>Most of the Russian troops present were actually in the process of withdrawing from Georgia (see [[Transcaucasian Front|Russian Group of Forces of the Transcaucasus]]) at the time, though the then current agreements would have left Russian troops in [[Gudauta]] in [[Abkhazia]] (See: [http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2372234]), and with peacekeeping forces in [[South Ossetia]] (See: [http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=15471]) and the Abkhaz/Georgian boundary line (See: [[IISS]] Military Balance 2007)</ref> While Russia partially withdrew troops and equipment from Georgia and Moldova, it did not do so completely as requested by NATO.

==Follow-up agreements==

===Concluding Act of the Negotiation on Personnel Strength of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE-1A)===
CFE-1A negotiations began shortly after the original CFE Treaty was signed in 1990.<ref name=FA>US DEPARTMENT OF STATE, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1584/is_n28_v3/ai_12553015 "CFE treaty and CFE-1A agreement - Conventional Armed Forces in Europe"], July 13, 1992</ref> CFE-1A was unlike the original CFE treaty not a legally binding treaty, but a political commitment that simultaneously came into force with the CFE treaty and served as a follow-up agreement.<ref name=NAVY/> The commitment was that all signatories of the CFE Treaty would undertake steps to improve further confidence and security in the ATTU region. CFE-1A committed the 30 members of the treaty to establish manpower limits and, if deemed necessary, to reduce the existing manpower levels within the CFE area of application to reach these limits. The United States was limited under this commitment to have no more than 250,000 troops in the area of application. As an additional source of security assurance, the CFE -1A agreement required the parties to provide advanced notification of any increases made to the force levels. The compliance with the CFE-1A agreement by a member was evaluated during on-site inspections conducted under the CFE Treaty.

===Agreement on Adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE-II)===
{{main article|Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty}}

The Agreement on Adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (also known as the adapted CFE treaty) was a revision of the original treaty and was signed during the November [[1999 Istanbul summit]] and took into account the different geopolitical situation of the post-Cold War era by setting national instead of bloc-based limits on conventional armed forces. NATO members refused however to ratify the treaty so long as Russia refused to completely withdraw its troops from [[Moldova]]n and [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] soil. While Russia partially withdrew troops and equipment from Georgia and Moldova, it did not do so completely as demanded by NATO. The linkage between the ratification of the adapted treaty and the complete withdrawal had no legal basis, but was rather a political decision made by NATO members.

==Suspension and complete withdrawal by Russia==
After Russia was not willing to support the US missile defense plans in Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for "moratorium" on the treaty in his April 26, 2007 address. Then he raised most of his points for rewriting the treaty during the Extraordinary Conference of States Parties to the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, held in Vienna on June 11–15 at Russia’s initiative.<ref name=SOCOR/> As his requests were not met during this conference, Putin [[Decree of the President of Russia|issued a decree]] intended to suspend the observance of its treaty obligations on July 14, 2007, effective 150 days later, stating that it was the result of "extraordinary circumstances (...) which affect the security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures," and notified NATO and its members.<ref>BBC NEWS, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6898690.stm "Russia suspends arms control pact"], July 14, 2007</ref><ref name=TIME>Y. ZARAKHOVICH, [http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1643566,00.html "Why Putin Pulled Out of a Key Treaty"] in ''Time'', July 14, 2007</ref> The suspension applies to the original CFE treaty, as well as to the follow-up agreements.<ref name=SOCOR>V. SOCOR, [http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2372298 "Kremlin Would Re-write Or Kill CFE Treaty"] by ''The Jamestown Foundation'', July 18, 2007</ref>

===Motives===
An explanatory document from Russia's presidential administration mentioned several reasons for its original suspension of compliance in 2007.<ref name=SOCOR/> First of all, Russia considered the linkage between the adapted treaty ratification and the withdrawal of troops from Georgia and Moldova as "illegitimate" and "invented". Russia also considered the troop-withdrawal issue a bilateral Russia–Georgia and Russia–Moldova issue, not a NATO–Russia issue. Secondly, the three [[Baltic states]], which border Russia unlike the rest of NATO (excluding Poland and Norway), were not covered under the original CFE treaty as they were still part of the Soviet Union when the treaty was signed.<ref name=SOCOR/> Also, the Baltic states like all NATO members did not ratify the adapted CFE treaty. Russia's wish for a speedy ratification and accession of the Baltic states to a ratified treaty, hoping to restrict emergency deployments of NATO forces there, was not fulfilled.{{citation needed|reason=source needed for the last sentence|date=November 2011}}

Thirdly, Russia emphasized that NATO's 1999 and 2004 enlargements increased the alliance's equipment above the treaty limits.<ref name=SOCOR/> Consequently, Russia demanded a "compensatory lowering" of overall NATO numerical ceilings on such equipment. Fourthly, Russia mentioned that the then planned basing of U.S. military units in Romania and Bulgaria "negatively affects" those countries' compliance with the CFE Treaty’s force ceilings.<ref name=SOCOR/> Fifthly, the document demanded a "removal" of the flank (i.e., North Caucasian) ceilings on Russian forces by a "political decision" between NATO and Russia, ostensibly to "compensate" Russia for the alliance's enlargement.<ref name=SOCOR/> Sixthly, Russia wanted to re-negotiate and "modernize" the 1999-[[adapted CFE treaty]] as soon as it was brought into force.<ref name=SOCOR/> Russia's position was that it would proceed unilaterally to suspend the treaty’s validity unless NATO countries brought the updated version into force by July 1, 2008, or at least complied with its terms on a temporary basis, pending a re-negotiation of the treaty.

Most likely, but not mentioned in Russia's explanatory document, the above-mentioned "extraordinary circumstances" referred to the US plans for a [[US missile defense complex in Poland|missile defense complex in Poland]], with a radar component in the Czech Republic.<ref name='NYT-Kramer-2007-07-14'>A. KRAMER, [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/14/world/europe/14cnd-russia.html?hp "Russia Steps Back From Key Arms Treaty"] in ''The New York Times'', July 14, 2007</ref><ref>These US plans would not have been possible without the 2002 unilateral withdrawal from the [[Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty]] by the US as this treaty prevented the establishment of new anti-missile defenses sites. See: BBC NEWS, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6720153.stm "Q&A: US missile defence"], July 3, 2007. As Russia saw it, the CFE treaty could thus become (after the ABM treaty) the second major Cold War treaty that was suspended.</ref> Another likely reason is that NATO members refused to ratify the [[Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty|Adapted CFE Treaty]] due to the continuing presence of several hundred Russian troops in [[Moldova]]—something they considered as a violation of the obligations Russia assumed during the [[1999 Istanbul summit]].<ref name='NYT-Kramer-2007-07-14 2'>{{cite news|first=Andrew|last=Kramer|title=Russia Steps Back From Key Arms Treaty|date=July 14, 2007|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/14/world/europe/14cnd-russia.html?hp|work=New York Times|accessdate=2007-07-14}} The Treaty terms specified that any party withdrawing from the agreement would have to provide 150 days notice before withdrawal, but it had no provisions for the suspension of obligations.</ref> However, there was no legal connection between the Adapted CFE treaty and the Russian withdrawal from Georgia and Moldova. The linkage between these two security issues was a decision made by NATO member states to protest against the [[Second Chechen War]] and was used as a reason not to ratify the treaty.<ref name=SPIEGEL>N. VON OTFRIED, [http://www.tagesspiegel.de/zeitung/Fragen-des-Tages;art693,2340195 "Das Wort zur Ta"] in ''Der Spiegel'', July 15, 2007 {{de icon}}</ref> Russia never accepted this decision&mdash;a decision also made six months after the Istanbul summit.<ref name=SPIEGEL/> Russia also considered the original CFE treaty to be outdated and strategically flawed as it did not take into account the dissolutions of the Warsaw Treaty or the Soviet Union.<ref>I. MARSCHALL, [http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MTA5NzUzMzQxMA== "Russia changes game by leaving CFE treaty"] in ''The Kuwait Times'', July 15, 2007</ref><ref name=PRAVDA>X, [http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/15-07-2007/94943-cfetreaty-0 "CFE Treaty – Time to end the hypocrisy"] in ''Pravda'', July 15, 2007</ref>

In Russia, even [[Vladimir Ryzhkov]], an opposition leader and an independent member of the [[Duma]], agreed that Russia had been forced to respond. However, he also speculated that Putin's suspension by decree was "primarily an [[Russian presidential election, 2008|election-year]] message to the country: "Your leader won't budge, no matter who formally becomes next President"."<ref name=TIME/>

===Reactions===
NATO immediately expressed regret over Russia's decision to suspend the treaty, describing it as "a step in the wrong direction", but hoped to engage Moscow in what was described as constructive talks on this issue.<ref>S. LEBIC, [http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2773165.ece "Suspension of CFE Treaty is a 'step in the wrong direction,' NATO says"] in ''The Independent'', July 16, 2007</ref> The United States along with European states such as Germany, Poland and Romania also expressed their disappointment.<ref>AFP, [http://www.warandpeace.ru/en/news/view/13228/ "US, NATO 'disappointed' at Russian pullout of arms treaty"], July 15, 2007</ref> [[Collective Security Treaty Organisation]] (CSTO) General Secretary [[Nikolai Bordyuzha]] and former Soviet president [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] expressed support for Putin's decree.<ref>UNI, [http://news.oneindia.in/2007/07/15/gorbachev-backs-putins-move-to-suspend--cfe-treaty-1184499383.html "Gorbachev backs Putin for suspending CFE Treaty"], July 15, 2007</ref> On 25 November 2011 the UK stopped sharing military data with Russia.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2011/11/mil-111125-rianovosti01.htm "UK halts military data sharing with Russia."] ''RIA Novosti'', 25 November 2011.</ref>

The Russian Foreign Ministry also said that the consequences of the suspension would be the halting of inspections and verifications of its military sites by NATO countries and that it would no longer have the obligation to limit the number of its conventional weapons.<ref name=TIME/> In practice, Russia had already halted such verification visits in June 2007 after an extraordinary CFE treaty conference held in Vienna turned a deaf ear to Russia's complaints.<ref>R. WEITZ, [http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/Article.aspx?id=861 "Extraordinary Conference Fails to Achieve Agreement on CFE Treaty Dispute"] in ''World Politics Review'', June 19, 2007</ref> Consequently, military delegations from Bulgaria and Hungary had been denied entry to Russian military units.

Yuri Zarakhovich speculated in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' that the above-mentioned "immediate measures" would be a build-up of its forces in areas bordering NATO eastern members, in particular Poland and the Baltic states.<ref name=TIME/> ''Time'' further speculated at the time that other measures could include troop buildups along southern borders in the Caucasus, new pressures on Ukraine to maintain the Russian [[Black Sea Fleet]] in the [[Crimea]] beyond the ([[Partition Treaty on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet|then planned]]) 2017 withdrawal deadline, and a refusal to leave Moldova.

In March 2015, the Russian Federation announced that it had taken the decision to completely halt its participation in the Treaty.<ref>{{cite news|title=Russia 'completely ending' activities under Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty|date=10 March 2015|url=http://rt.com/news/239409-russia-quits-conventional-europe|accessdate=11 March 2015|agency=RT}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances]]
*[[Helsinki Accords]]
*[[Naval Infantry (Russia)#Cold War|Soviet Naval Infantry]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.armscontrol.org/factsheet/cfe The Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty at a Glance] &mdash; Arms Control Association
*[http://www.state.gov/www/global/arms/treaties/cfe.html Text of the treaty] &mdash; [[United States Department of State]]
*[http://www.minbuza.nl/en/key-topics/treaties/search-the-treaty-database/1990/11/004285.html Official signatures and ratifications].
*[http://www.direct.gov.uk/Gtgl1/GuideToGovernment/InternationalBodies/InternationalBodiesArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4003090&chk=6WCZhB History of NATO – the Atlantic Alliance] - UK Government site
*[http://www.unregisterednews.com/content/view/130/53/ Russia intends to leave CFE] 26 April 2007
*[http://www.mid.ru/Brp_4.nsf/arh/10DA6DD509E4D164C32573AF004CC4BE?OpenDocument Statement by Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Regarding Suspension by RF of CFE Treaty]
*[http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2126843,00.html 'Kremlin tears up arms pact with NATO'], [[the Observer]]
*[http://exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=15147&IBLOCK_ID=35 The Cornerstone Crumbles], [[the eXile]]
*[http://osce.usmission.gov/archive/2008/01/CFEtreaty_FactSheet_01_28_08.pdf Key Facts About the CFE Treaty and Agreement on Adaptation] - U.S. Mission to the OSCE

{{DEFAULTSORT:Treaty On Conventional Armed Forces In Europe}}
[[Category:NATO]]
[[Category:Arms control treaties|Conventional Armed Forces in Europe]]
[[Category:Treaties of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Soviet Union–United States relations]]
[[Category:Multilateral relations of Russia]]
[[Category:Cold War treaties]]
[[Category:Treaties concluded in 1990]]
[[Category:Treaties entered into force in 1992]]
[[Category:Treaties of Belgium]]
[[Category:Treaties of Canada]]
[[Category:Treaties of Denmark]]
[[Category:Treaties of France]]
[[Category:Treaties of Germany]]
[[Category:Treaties of Greece]]
[[Category:Treaties of Iceland]]
[[Category:Treaties of Italy]]
[[Category:Treaties of Luxembourg]]
[[Category:Treaties of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Treaties of Norway]]
[[Category:Treaties of Portugal]]
[[Category:Treaties of Spain]]
[[Category:Treaties of Turkey]]
[[Category:Treaties of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Treaties of the United States]]
[[Category:Treaties of Armenia]]
[[Category:Treaties of Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:Treaties of Belarus]]
[[Category:Treaties of Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Treaties of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Treaties of Moldova]]
[[Category:Treaties of Ukraine]]
[[Category:Treaties of Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Treaties of the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:Treaties of Slovakia]]
[[Category:Treaties of Hungary]]
[[Category:Treaties of Poland]]
[[Category:Treaties of Romania]]
[[Category:Treaties of Czechoslovakia]]
[[Category:Treaties extended to the Faroe Islands]]
[[Category:Treaties extended to Greenland]]
[[Category:Treaties extended to Akrotiri and Dhekelia]]
[[Category:Treaties extended to Gibraltar]]
[[Category:Treaties extended to Guernsey]]
[[Category:Treaties extended to the Isle of Man]]
[[Category:Treaties extended to Jersey]]