Putin tears up Cold War treaty
Pastor Dale Morgan
Putin tears up Cold War treaty*
By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:17am BST 15/07/2007
Russia engaged the West in a new round of brinkmanship yesterday when
Vladimir Putin effectively tore up a vital treaty designed to end the
threat of war in Europe.
Russian president Vladimir Putin: Russia ends Cold War treaty
President Vladimir Putin appears to believe that the West is attempting
to encircle Russia
In a chilling message to his adversaries, the Russian president signed a
decree suspending Moscow's participation in the Conventional Forces in
Europe (CFE) treaty, a move that will allow Russia to mass tanks on its
border with Europe for the first time in 15 years.
Coming amid the worst crisis in East-West relations since the Cold War,
the announcement - though expected - prompted immediate consternation at
Nato headquarters.
"Nato regrets this decision by the Russian Federation," said a
spokesman, James Appathurai. "It is a step in the wrong direction. The
allies consider this treaty to be an important cornerstone of Euro
stability."
Russia's withdrawal from the treaty represents a significant element of
Mr Putin's so-called "asymmetrical response" to American plans to erect
a missile defence shield in central Europe.
The president has already threatened to retrain Russia's nuclear arsenal
on Europe if the project, due to be completed in 2012, goes ahead as
proposed.
Moscow has rejected Washington's argument that the shield is meant to
protect against a rogue missile strike from the Middle East, claiming
that the true intention is to undermine Russia's nuclear deterrent. A
Kremlin statement cited "extraordinary circumstances which affect the
security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures".
The ending of the treaty is a gesture replete in symbolism. Adopted in
1990, it played a crucial role in ending the Cold War by guaranteeing
peace between the Warsaw Pact and Nato in Europe.
Limiting the number of troops that could be stationed on Cold War front
lines by both sides, the treaty required Russia to move the bulk of its
military hardware east of the Ural Mountains, the geographical divide
between Europe and Asia. With the treaty's demise, Mr Putin seems to be
declaring a return to adversarial Cold War politics.
While most commentators do not believe that he is preparing to mobilise
large numbers of troops in western Russia, fears are mounting that the
president could now pull out of a second treaty barring Moscow from
building nuclear weapons capable of striking Europe. Senior generals
said this year that Russia would have to pull out of the Intermediate
Nuclear Forces treaty to be able to strike the US missile shield, which
is to be located in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Talks between Russia and the US over relocating the shield are at an
impasse. Mr Putin has offered to jointly host the radar element at a
Russian base in Azerbaijan - a proposal seen as more bluff than
substance by US military experts who say that it is unworkable. By
Russia's own admission, it would not be complete until 2020.
Emboldened by Russia's vast energy resources and the high price of oil,
the Kremlin has championed a nationalist course it lacked the confidence
to pursue in the shambolic aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse.
Confrontations with the West have multiplied over a range of issues,
from the expropriation of British oil company assets to rows with former
Soviet neighbours and the eradication of dissent within Russia itself.
Russia's growing intransigence is not simply intended for domestic
consumption. Mr Putin appears to believe that the West is attempting to
encircle Russia - a conviction stemming from the "coloured revolutions"
in Georgia and Ukraine that saw pro-Moscow leaders ejected in favour of
westernisers.
The proposed missile shield has reinforced that conviction.
Mr Putin also believes that US plans to build military bases in eastern
Europe contravene the spirit of the CFE treaty.