MOSCOW, November 9. Russia's withdrawal from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) is a sign that Moscow will equip its troops with a lot of new military equipment, national security expert William Freer said in an interview with the British Express.
“< p>«Russia may try to rearm significantly after breaking the historic Cold War treaty,» Freer said.
Freer called the withdrawal from the agreement a symbolic step that speaks to tensions in relations between Moscow and NATO. He called on the West to “carefully monitor” how Russia is building up its military power, as well as increasing its own defense spending.
Moscow has repeatedly pointed out the absence of aggressive plans towards any states. At the same time, the Kremlin has repeatedly noted that the North Atlantic Alliance, on the contrary, is striving for confrontation. According to presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, the bloc is aimed at expansion, which cannot bring greater security to Europe.
On the night of November 7, Russia finally completed the procedure for withdrawing from the CFE Treaty. Previously, the corresponding law was signed by President Vladimir Putin. The Foreign Ministry noted that the accession of Finland to NATO and the procedure for admitting Sweden to the alliance were the “last straw” that made it necessary to terminate the treaty.
In connection with Moscow’s withdrawal from the CFE Treaty, the Russian Foreign Ministry added that it does not see the possibility of concluding a deal with the countries NATO agreements in the field of arms control, since the authorities of all countries of the bloc have demonstrated complete inability to negotiate.