Nato Ends Treaty Preventing Armies Massing At Borders

Decision follows Russia's withdrawal from Cold War-era deal

- LORNE COOK

Nato has announced the formal suspension of a key Cold Warera armed forces treaty in the wake of Russia withdrawing from the deal. The alliance said that members who signed the Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe are now freezing their participation in the pact.

Most of Nato’s 31 member states have signed the treaty, which was aimed at preventing Cold War rivals from massing forces at or near mutual borders. The treaty is one of several major Cold War-era treaties involving Russia, the United States and other Western nations that have lapsed in recent years, a trend that has accelerated since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

It was signed in November 1990, but not fully ratified until two years later.

Nato said “a situation whereby allied state parties abide by the treaty, while Russia does not, would be unsustainable”.

Russia’s foreign ministry announced earlier yesterday that Moscow had finalised its withdrawal. The long-expected move came after both houses of the Russian parliament approved a bill proposed by President Vladimir Putin denouncing the treaty, known as CFE. Mr Putin signed the bill into force in May this year.