Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe

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 to the Urals) and mandated the destruction of excess weaponry. The treaty proposed equal limits for the two "groups of states-parties", the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact. In 1999, the Adapted CFE was signed to take in consideration the changed geopolitical realities and the disbanding of the Warsaw Pact, but NATO refused to ratify it, citing Russian failure to comply to the Istanbul Commitments. In 2007, Russia "suspended" its participation in the treaty, citing the US presence in Eastern Europe and NATO's refusal to ratify the Adapted CFE treaty. On 10 March 2015, citing NATO's alleged de facto breach of the Treaty, Russia formally announced it was "completely" halting its participation as of the next day. On 7 November 2023, Russia withdrew from the treaty, and in response the United States and its NATO allies suspended their participation in the treaty. Almost all other parties have since suspended their participation.