Putin Issues a Decree: What Does It Contain?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree regarding "Russia's intention to withdraw from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, and appointing Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov as the president's representative when considering the initiative before the Russian parliament." The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe was signed in Paris in 1990, and a revised version of the agreement was signed in 1999 at the OSCE summit in Istanbul. The amended treaty has only been ratified by four countries: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. In 2007, Moscow suspended its participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe "until the other NATO countries ratify the Adaptation Agreement and begin to implement this document in good faith."