WASHINGTON, November 8. /TASS/. Washington’s criticism of Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty is an attempt to shift the West’s responsibility for dismantling the international security architecture on Moscow, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on Wednesday.
"Shifting responsibility for the destruction of the international security architecture on Russia is a favorite American practice. They have hard time realizing that the collective West led by the United States is to blame for what is happening," the ambassador said, commenting on Washington’s criticism in the CFE Treaty context.
"We have repeatedly pointed out to our Western colleagues the need to cooperate in order to restore the viability of the CFE Treaty," he continued. "Having suspended the agreement in 2007, Russia remained opened to a dialogue on establishing the principles of collective security that would meet the interests of all parties."
"However, the substantive conversation was not in Washington's plans," the Russian diplomat went on. "Certain of its impunity, the United States accelerated the process of NATO expansion to openly circumvent group restrictions under the CFE Treaty, and eventually engaged in a hybrid war with Russia through the Ukraine proxy. In such circumstances, even formally maintaining our participation in the Treaty is unacceptable from the perspective of the national interests."
"With its decision to withdraw, Russia is sending a clear message - attempts to build military security in Europe without taking our concerns into account are doomed. It is time for the Americans and their satellites to stop overestimating their strength," the Russian diplomat said.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the procedure for Russia's withdrawal from the CFE Treaty was completed at midnight on November 7, the document ceased to exist for Moscow.
The decision to suspend the US fulfillment of its obligations under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) has been supported by NATO allies and partners outside the alliance, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
According to the White House national security adviser, Russia's withdrawal from the CFE Treaty, along with Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, "fundamentally altered circumstances that were essential to the CFE States Parties’ consent to be bound by the treaty, and radically transformed the obligations under the treaty."
CFE Treaty
The CFE Treaty was signed in 1990 and amended in 1997. NATO countries did not ratify the adapted version of the document and continued to adhere to the 1990 provisions, which contained conventional arms norms from the balance between the alliance and the now defunct Warsaw Pact organization. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law denouncing the CFE Treaty on May 29, 2023; it entered into force on June 9. Moscow has repeatedly stated that the blame for the treaty's termination will fall on the United States and its allies, who have chosen the path of confrontation.