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What did Belarus's CFE Treaty suspension mean?
Summary
A look back at Alexander Lukashenko's announcement that Belarus would suspend its participation in a Cold War arms-control treaty.
What did it mean when Belarus stepped back from Europe's main conventional arms treaty? On 9 April 2024, the move was a few days old: on 5 April 2024, President Alexander Lukashenko announced that Belarus would suspend its participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.
The treaty
The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was negotiated and concluded in the last years of the Cold War. It set comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment in Europe and required the destruction of excess weaponry. Its limits were equal for two groups of states-parties: NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
A treaty already hollowed out
By April 2024 the treaty's framework had been eroding for years. An Adapted CFE was signed in 1999 to reflect the disbanding of the Warsaw Pact, but NATO refused to ratify it, citing Russian failure to comply with the Istanbul Commitments. In 2007 Russia suspended its participation. On 10 March 2015 it announced it was halting its participation completely. On 7 November 2023 Russia withdrew from the treaty, and the United States and its NATO allies suspended their participation in response.
Against that backdrop, Lukashenko's announcement on 5 April 2024 added Belarus to the states stepping back from the treaty. Later, almost all other parties also suspended their participation.
