The President of Kazakhstan has announced that the nation’s decision regarding the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) will be formally communicated across the country’s information and legal systems. This development comes in the wake of Russia’s recent withdrawal from the treaty, which has significant implications for regional security dynamics. The CFE, initially signed in 1990 and enforced in 1992, was designed to limit conventional weapons and equipment across five key categories: tanks, armored fighting vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters, and combat aircraft. It also established mechanisms for verifying compliance, including information sharing and inspections. Despite amendments in 1997, NATO members chose not to ratify the updated version, instead adhering to the original 1990 provisions to maintain the balance between NATO and the former Warsaw Pact. On May 29, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin formalized Moscow’s exit from the CFE, marking a pivotal shift in the treaty’s future and raising questions about its continued relevance in the current geopolitical landscape.
