euro|topics - Russia pulls out of the CFE treaty

Main focus of Monday, July 16, 2007

Russia pulls out of the CFE treaty

Russian President Vladimir Putin has carried out his threat to suspend Russia's obligations under the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. The move is obviously connected to the US's plans for a missile defence system in Eastern Europe. The European press expresses its concern.

The Guardian - United Kingdom

The daily speculates on the future of Europe, if this trend of pulling-out of cold-war era arms-control treaties continues. "The intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty could be next. And then Europe, freshly liberated from the cold-war threat of instant extinction, will be bristling with missiles. The US will have its missile interceptor base in Poland and a long-range radar in the Czech Republic. ... To counter that, Russia will deploy long-range Iskander missiles in its enclave in Kaliningrad. ... Heavy tanks will once again roam the forests of Germany and central Russia, just like the good old days. ... It could well be that cold-war-style arms treaties need to be replaced by a new generation of treaties which deal with the reality of today's technology. It may also be true that the current belligerent posturing could have a positive outcome, leading to a new round of arms-control negotiations." (16/07/2007)

Sydsvenska Dagbladet - Sweden

The newspaper finds Russia's announcement that it is suspending its CFE obligations disturbing: "The treaty is important for Sweden. Although Finland and the Baltic lie between Russia and Sweden, Russia is nonetheless extremely important to Sweden's security policy... Unlike most of Europe Sweden is not dependent on Russian energy, but the planned gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea is still a cause for concern for many. The pipeline will necessitate equipment that can be used for military purposes, and this could endanger the strategic balance in the Baltic region." (16/07/2007)

Le Temps - Switzerland

Stéphane Bussard, writing in an editorial, puts the Russian decision in context. "Vladimir Putin isn't satisfied with words, he has to act. In deciding Saturday to suspend the application of the CFE, the Russian President has sent a warning to the United States and Europe. He attacks a weighty symbol: the treaty in question marks the end of the Cold War and assumes a symbolic importance to European eyes. The Kremlin's power play, which even Mikhail Gorbachev thinks is justified because it will open up discussions, isn't, however, a return to the Cold War. Russia isn't as powerful as the Soviet Union was, nor does it have the same ideology. But, with a hurting ego, humiliated by American power and aspirations to hegemony, it is re-establishing itself as a counter-balance." (16/07/2007)

Der Standard - Austria

Markus Bernath examines Russia's decision to temporarily stop complying with the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) and concludes: "Moscow is acting on the principle: no more interference with Russia's sphere of influence and in particular no more strategic disadvantages. The US's planned missile defence shield belongs in this category. The Bush administration has persuaded Poland and the Czech Republic to go along with its plans and duped other NATO states that wanted to pull the brakes and try to negotiate with Russia before Washington made the decisions on its own. Putin has now given the West 150 days to comply with his demands for adapting the CFE treaty. Europe can either thank Bush or, if it's clever, start trying to establish its own dialogue with Moscow." (16/07/2007)

Sme - Slovakia

Marian Lesko comments that the Russian president is just using the missile defence system planned for Eastern Europe as an excuse. "Putin is using the anti-missile shield to tell Europeans: 'If you allow the Americans to threaten Russia we will aim our missiles at European targets and pull out of a treaty that guaranteed the stability and security of the entire continent.' But it's clear that Moscow's main objective is for the West to start regarding Russia once more as the counterpart which must be consulted on anything that Moscow considers to be an object of its own interests." (16/07/2007)

ABC - Spain

"Technically, the only thing that prevents the renewal of the treaty is the presence of Russian troops in the separatist region of Transnistria, in Moldova", writes the daily. "It isn't reasonable that this geo-strategic curiosity puts the stability of Europe in danger. ... For a decade, NATO has offered Russia a model of coexistence based on the idea that it is a privileged strategic partner. Since the disappearance of the dictatorship that ruled Moscow, there has been no reason to maintain a confrontational stance. President Putin should know that the real menace for everyone comes from extremist terrorism that prevents us from collaborating. Abandoning the treaty will be ... bad for the West, but beyond that, bad for Russia." (16/07/2007)

» To the complete press review of Monday, July 16, 2007

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