Major General Revenko on suspension of CFE Treaty: it’s never a problem to withdraw, but signing a new agreement is a hard task

Historically, the year 1999 and the non-signing of the newly adapted CFE Treaty served as the starting point for the collapse of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. The balance was disrupted but – as stated by the Chief of the International Military Co-operation Department, Assistant to the Defence Minister for Foreign Military Policy, Major General Valery Revenko – it was not only about the latter: a threat to the national security of the Republic of Belarus emerged.

“Destabilisation of the situation in the Eastern European region and violation of the European security architecture in general were the point, and this is happening today, sadly. Later, countries began to interpret the provisions of that treaty in an arbitrary fashion, and some of them even partially stopped fulfilling them. For example, the year 2020 was, unfortunately, marked by the beginning of a pandemic, and a number of Western states suspended their implementation of the CFE Treaty articles. That was a good excuse for them to ensure, let it say, an increase in their forces and means, as well as in the number of personnel, including of foreign states. Since 2022, almost all NATO allies have, unfortunately, begun ignoring the implementation of certain provisions of the treaty. Last November, the leadership of NATO member countries decided to suspend the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, and it has actually stopped functioning. What should the Republic of Belarus do in these conditions? Of course, it has to react. I am talking now about the provision of information on the number of weapons, military equipment, and troops. Does it make sense to share this information with Western countries if no data is sent to the Republic of Belarus? Of course, there is no point anymore. We need to do something. Speaking of the suspension, it is always possible to break an agreement, but signing a new one can be a very difficult task, especially in modern conditions. It is almost impossible to create a new agreement, especially in the existing realities and conditions. At least, military experts are already discussing the formation of new conditions, new paradigms of military security,” the Major General commented.