By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russian President Vladimir Putin Saturday suspended the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty and related international agreements in Russia until NATO ratifies an adaptation agreement, the Kremlin press service said.
The decree said the decision to suspend the CFE in Russia follows the failure of the NATO to ratify an agreement to adapt the CFE to present realities that has direct relation to Russia’s security.
It said US plans to deploy conventional arms in Bulgaria and Romania have “a negative impact” on compliance with CFE group limits.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concern about the emergence of new NATO bases close to its borders and the bloc’s reluctance to ratify an updated CFE Treaty, which has regulated the deployment of troops and weapons on the continent since the Cold War.
Three ex-Soviet Baltic republics and seven former Communist-bloc states in Eastern Europe have joined NATO since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Former Soviet allies Ukraine and Georgia have also declared plans to join the 26-member alliance.