WASHINGTON, November 7. /TASS/. 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 statement published on the White House website, the US will suspend the operation of all CFE Treaty obligations effective December 7, 2023. "This decision to suspend our obligations under the CFE Treaty was taken in close consultation and coordination with our NATO Allies, many of whom are also CFE Treaty States Parties. A number of our CFE partners that are not members of NATO also support suspension of CFE Treaty obligations in response to Russia’s actions," the statement 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."
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 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.