Conventional Arms Control, Confidence- and Security-Building Measures
in the Military Sphere in Europe
A set of international agreements and the measures envisaged by them on the control of conventional weapons and military activities was developed in the period between 1975 and 1990 in the framework of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. It was developed at the height of the Cold War as one of the tools to reduce tensions in relations between the East and the West under the concept of «peaceful coexistence».
Further evolution of confidence-building measures was accompanied by the institutionalization of security dialogue on the CSCE platform in Vienna. Member States of the Warsaw Treaty Organization (WTO) and NATO reached their mutual understanding on the need not only for informational exchange but also for significant limitation and reduction of major strike weapons. As a result, on 19 November 1990, the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe was signed in Paris.
In 1992, the international monitoring, control and verification mechanisms in the military field were reinforced by the «Open Skies» regime. This regime provided Member States of NATO and ex-WTO with the possibility to carry out direct aerial surveillance of each other’s military activities.
Therefore, in 1990 - 1992, a complex security mechanism was created in Europe. Thе mechanism made it possible to reduce the potential of attack capabilities of rivalry states, to reach the balance of military forces in Europe, and to prevent any chance of preparation and sudden outbreak of a large-scale war.
Thus, comprehensive European security framework established in this way has been effective for 20 years.
The basis of this mechanism was formed by:
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) (official text link: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/994_314) signed in Paris on 19 November 1990 under the Mandate of CSCE of 10 January 2000; entered into force on 9 November 1992.
Treaty on Open Skies (official text link: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/994_316) signed in Helsinki on March 24, 1992, ratified by Ukraine on March 2, 2000; entered into force on January 1, 2002.
Vienna Document on confidence- and security-building measures (official text link: https://www.osce.org/fsc/86597?download=true; https://www.osce.org/ru/fsc/86600?download=true), which is politically binding agreement of the OSCE participating States.
Since 2007, the universal Conventional Arms Control (CAC) mechanism built in Europe has begun to erode as a result of russia’s deliberate revanchist moves within the frameworks of moscow’s neo-imperial foreign policy, including:
- russia’s continued refusal to withdraw its armed forces and conventional weapons from Georgia and the Republic of Moldova;
- the unilateral suspension of russia’s participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe in December 2007;
- the armed aggression against Georgia and occupation of parts of its territories in 2008;
- blocking since 2011 any international initiatives aimed at implementation in good faith and the modernization of confidence-building and security measures defined by the OSCE Vienna Document;
- the deliberate manipulation and abuse of the provisions of the Treaty of Open Skies in 2010-2020 aimed at ousting the U.S. from this Treaty in 2020, as well as russia’s withdrawal from the Treaty in 2021.
- russia’s final withdrawal from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe by denouncing it in May 2023.
The military intervention of the russian federation in Ukraine and the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014, as well as unprovoked large-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022 have led to the final collapse of conventional arms control mechanisms and regimes in Europe.
Ukraine is interested in building new post-war security architecture in Europe in accordance with security and military priorities of «peace formula» put forward by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It can be assumed that that the international experience gained from preparation, conclusion and implementation of the CFE, the Treaty on Open Skies and the Vienna Document can be used to develop future agreements in the field of international security and arms control in post-war Europe.