Ukraine Begins Process to Exit CFE Treaty

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced that Ukraine had initiated the suspension of its participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.

According to the statement, this step is part of a broader effort to lift legal restrictions that remained in place due to obligations stemming from a long-standing policy focused on diplomatic conflict resolution without the use of military force.

This step will now form part of Ukraine’s adaptation to a new defense policy aimed at preserving statehood and protecting its territory from its main adversary – Russia.

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the suspension of the Treaty was a logical continuation of Ukraine’s withdrawal from other international agreements – in particular, the Ottawa Treaty.

“This is the next step in strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities following the suspension of the Ottawa Treaty,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

On July 15, the Parliament passed a decision to suspend the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction – commonly known as the Ottawa Treaty. The final step was the signing of the document by President Volodymyr Zelensky, officially suspending Ukraine’s participation in the Treaty.

Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe

The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty) was signed on November 19, 1990, in Paris by the representatives of 22 countries: 16 NATO member states and 6 members of the Warsaw Pact. At that time, the treaty also applied to the USSR, of which Ukraine was a part.

After gaining independence, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada ratified the CFE Treaty on July 1, 1992, and it entered into force for Ukraine on November 9, 1992.

The purpose of the treaty was to control the amount of weaponry held by each bloc and state, in order to prevent any one side from gaining overwhelming superiority in the event of a large-scale war.