Russia Withdraws from Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law to annul the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. The State Duma voted in favor of withdrawing from the treaty, which was signed in Paris in 1990 by NATO's 16 countries and 6 Warsaw Pact nations. The document imposed limitations on armaments across the continent.

After the cessation of the Warsaw Pact, former treaty countries and several republics of the USSR joined NATO, resulting in the alliance tightening the restrictions. In 1999, an adaptation agreement was signed, but no NATO country ratified it. Consequently, Russia ceased participation in the treaty in 2007, with the Foreign Ministry stating that the treaty had become outdated and a relic of the past.