On November 7, Moscow formally withdrew from the Convention on Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), according to a Foreign Ministry announcement. The CFE withdrawal procedure, previously suspended in 2007, was completed at 00:00 on November 7, 2023, marking the end of this international legal commitment. Russia has expressed its current reluctance to engage in an arms control treaty with NATO, citing the apparent inability of NATO member states and their allies to negotiate. Additionally, two related agreements, the Budapest Memorandum of 1990 and the Flank Agreement of 1996, have become invalid for Russia. The CFE, initiated in 1990 to maintain the balance of military power, came into effect in 1992. Over the years, Russia’s involvement suspended in 2007 and, in 2015, participation in the Joint Consultative Group on the CFE Treaty. President Vladimir Putin finalized the withdrawal by signing the condemnation law on May 29, which took effect on June 9. Since then Belarus has represented Russian interests in the Joint Consultative Group.
