Ukraine is suspending its obligations under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), which sets limits on the quantity of weaponry.
The decision was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 28 following a meeting of the heads of Ukraine’s foreign diplomatic missions.
According to Militarnyi, this step is part of a broader effort to lift legal restrictions that had previously bound Ukraine under a long-standing policy focused on diplomatic conflict resolution without the use of armed forces.
The suspension also marks a shift toward adapting to a new defense policy aimed at preserving statehood and protecting Ukraine’s territory from its main adversary—the Russian Federation.
The Ministry also noted that this decision is a logical continuation of Ukraine’s withdrawal from other international agreements, particularly the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines.
“This is the next step in strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities following the suspension of the Ottawa Convention,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
Negotiated in the final years of the Cold War, the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe has long been considered a cornerstone of European security. Signed on November 19, 1990, the treaty sought to eliminate the Soviet Union’s significant numerical advantage in conventional arms by imposing equal limits on tanks, armored combat vehicles, heavy artillery, combat aircraft, and attack helicopters deployed between the Atlantic Ocean and the Ural Mountains by NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
An adapted version of the treaty was signed in 1999 to reflect post-Cold War realities. However, NATO countries declined to ratify the treaty, as Russia repeatedly refused—under various pretexts—to withdraw its troops from Moldova’s Transnistria region or to dismantle its military base in Gudauta, located in Abkhazia, a region that is formally part of Georgia.
Earlier, it was reported that Lithuania and Finland plan to begin domestic production of anti-personnel landmines next year to strengthen national defenses and support Ukraine amid rising concerns over Russia’s military threat.
Officials from both countries told Reuters on July 9 that they intend to withdraw from the 1997 Ottawa Convention, which bans the use of anti-personnel mines. The withdrawal process, expected to take six months, would pave the way for the legal resumption of mine production on their territory.
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Ukraine Withdraws From CFE Arms Treaty Amid Shift in Defense Strategy – UNITED24 Media
