Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has signaled that the West is moving toward greater friction with Moscow, a concern he articulated in an interview published by the Parliament newspaper. He framed current tensions as an ongoing trend rather than a short-term escalation, underscoring the broader strategic reality facing Russia and its European and transatlantic neighbors.
In his remarks, Ryabkov argued that the Convention on Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) has drifted away from the conditions and capabilities it was designed to regulate for many years. He noted that the Adaptation Agreement of 1999, which was intended to modernize the treaty framework, was never implemented because the United States and several NATO partners pressed Moscow for significant concessions. The deputy foreign minister stressed that Moscow perceives Western demands as an open-ended expectation for further concessions, a dynamic he described as never-ending and designed to extract strategic advantages from Russia.
Ryabkov accused Washington of having no real interest in an adaptation of the CFE Treaty. He contended that the United States aims to push Russia out of what Moscow calls the near periphery, and that as a result, no NATO member state ratified the Adaptation Agreement. In response, he asserted, NATO has continued to expand eastward beyond treaty constraints, effectively bypassing the spirit and letter of the CFE framework.
The deputy foreign minister further explained that Russia left the door open to reestablishing a viable conventional arms control regime only by suspending participation in the CFE Treaty in 2007, without fully withdrawing. He argued that despite Russia having time to seek common sense and rapprochement, Western policies have instead led to an intensified confrontation and further NATO expansion, undermining the previously agreed adaptation to the CFE Treaty.
Ryabkov pointed out that there has been no constructive Western proposal on any new form of adaptation for the CFE Treaty. He suggested that Western governments have not presented a ready framework that could satisfy Russia’s security concerns while maintaining regional stability, a situation he views as blocking progress on arms control.
Additionally, he highlighted that Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO, along with potential deployments of American forces on Finnish soil, complicate Russia’s prospects to remain within the CFE regime. He argued that such developments remove the strategic space necessary for a functioning conventional arms control system and alter the security landscape surrounding Russia and its neighbors.
Earlier reporting indicated that the leadership of the State Duma was preparing to consider a draft law to abolish the Convention on Armed Forces in Europe. The document was on the agenda of the Duma Council for discussion, reflecting Moscow’s broader stance on revisiting arms control arrangements in Europe and the potential legal steps it might take in response to the evolving security environment.