Lukashenko suspends Belarus’ participation in the Conventional Armed Forces Treaty

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko signed a law suspending Belarus’ participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), which aims to limit the number of weapons and equipment belonging to NATO and Warsaw Pact countries.

The law was registered on the online legal portal of Belarus on May 29.

The CFE Treaty was negotiated at the end of the Cold War between NATO and Warsaw Pact countries to limit the size of the armed forces that could be deployed for a rapid offensive.

The treaty was signed in Paris in November 1990 and initially signed by 16 NATO members and six countries of the former Warsaw Pact, including the USSR.

Belarus’ suspension was approved by the Council of the Republic, the upper house of the Belarusian parliament, on May 6, after it had already been adopted by the House of Representatives, the lower house, in April.

The law states that the suspension “does not mean Belarus’s withdrawal from the law, nor the cessation of internal procedures in the armed forces related to its implementation.”

Russia formally withdrawn In November 2023, NATO announced its withdrawal from the CFE Treaty.

“While we recognize the role of the CFE Treaty as a cornerstone of the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, a situation in which Allied States Parties adhere to the Treaty but Russia does not would be untenable,” NATO’s press office wrote.

Putin wants to include Belarus in nuclear exercises

During his visit to Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to discuss the participation of the Belarusian military in Russia’s non-strategic nuclear exercises, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on May 24.