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Russia pulls out of key arms pact Russia suspends arms control pact
(about 1 hour later)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has suspended involvement in one of the key post-Cold War arms control treaties. Russian President Vladimir Putin has suspended the application of a key Cold War arms control treaties.
In a statement, the Kremlin said the choice was due to "extraordinary circumstances" affecting security.In a statement, the Kremlin said the choice was due to "extraordinary circumstances" affecting security.
Russia has been angered by US plans to base parts of a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic.Russia has been angered by US plans to base parts of a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty limits the number of heavy weapons deployed between the Atlantic Ocean and the Urals mountains. The Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) limits the number of heavy weapons deployed between the Atlantic Ocean and the Urals mountains.
'Cornerstone''Cornerstone'
A Nato spokesperson said that the alliance's secretary general would "very much regret the decision" if confirmed. The Kremlin said the suspension would take immediate effect.
"The allies consider this treaty to be an important cornerstone of European security," he said. A Nato spokesman said the alliance "regretted" Russia's decision.
In a separate interview, Nato spokesperson James Appathurai told the BBC the move was "a disappointing step in the wrong direction".
THE CFE TREATY Cornerstone of European securityLimits amount of key military equipment in designated areaNegotiated by Nato and ex-Warsaw Pact member statesSigned in 1990Came into force in 1992Revised 1999 version never ratified by Nato Russia's new foreign policyTHE CFE TREATY Cornerstone of European securityLimits amount of key military equipment in designated areaNegotiated by Nato and ex-Warsaw Pact member statesSigned in 1990Came into force in 1992Revised 1999 version never ratified by Nato Russia's new foreign policy
The CFE agreement, one of the key Cold War European security accords, was signed eight years after the Warsaw Pact was dissolved. "The allies consider this treaty to be an important cornerstone of European security," James Appathurai said.
It sets limits for the number of tanks, heavy artillery and combat aircraft, as well as troops, deployed in the region. He added that the move was "a disappointing step in the wrong direction".
The BBC's Europe editor, Mike Saunders, says that the US announcement of its plans for a missile defence shield within Europe was the last straw for Russia. Russia's suspension of its application of the treaty is yet another sign of a worsening relationship between the US and Russia, says the BBC's diplomatic correspondent, Jonathan Marcus.
Mr Putin saw the plans as further unbalancing a treaty that already limits the conventional arms Russia can deploy on its own territory. An informal meeting earlier in July at the Bush family's Maine home seems to have done very little to improve ties between the two leaders, he says.
The Kremlin maintains that the 1990 treaty is outdated and restricts its ability to move troops around its own territory. The CFE agreement of 1990 was one of the most significant arms control agreements of the Cold War years.
Russia ratified the 1999 revised version, but Nato has not done so. Talks at President Bush's family home did little to diffuse tensions
Nato is first demanding the withdrawal of Russian forces from two breakaway regions with Russia-speaking majorities - Abkhazia in Georgia and Trans-Dniester in Moldova. It set strict limits on the number of offensive weapons - tanks, aircraft, artillery and so on - that the members of the Warsaw Pact and Nato could deploy in Europe, stretching from the Atlantic to the Urals.
In the wake of the collapse of communism, the treaty was revised in 1999, in part to address Russian concerns.
But this revised treaty has never been ratified by the Nato countries who want Russia to withdraw all of its forces from two breakaway regions with Russia-speaking majorities - Abkhazia in Georgia and Trans-Dniester in Moldova.
The Kremlin maintains that the CFE treaty is outdated and restricts its ability to move troops around its own territory.