Belarus suspends Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe

The document was published on Wednesday on the National Legal Portal of Belarus, Ukrinform reports citing Zerkalo. 

"To suspend the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe of 19 November 1990," the law of 24 May reads.

This treaty was ratified by Belarus and entered into force in 1992. It provides for limitations on the total levels of conventional weapons and equipment in five main categories (tanks, armoured combat vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters and combat aircraft), as well as mechanisms for verifying compliance with obligations (information exchange and inspections).

Lukashenko's press service noted that the suspension of the CFE Treaty does not mean that Belarus will withdraw from it and that the Armed Forces will cease internal procedures related to its implementation.

As reported, in August 2022, the Czech Republic and Poland decided not to implement the treaty with respect to Belarus, and in March 2023, Poland decided not to implement the treaty with respect to Belarus. In response, Alexander Lukashenko signed a law terminating the CFE Treaty with respect to Poland and the Czech Republic.

On 7 November 2023, the aggressor country Russia finally withdrew from another international arms limitation agreement, this time saying goodbye to the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE). In response, NATO member states announced their intention to suspend the Treaty "for as long as necessary". 

The CFE Treaty, concluded in the final years of the Cold War, set limits on key categories of conventional military equipment in Europe (from the Atlantic to the Urals) and provided for the destruction of surplus weapons. The treaty offered equal restrictions for the two "groups of member states" of NATO and the Warsaw Pact.