Russia No Longer Part Of European Arms Control Treaty Consultations

Russian diplomat Anton Mazur in a statement on Tuesday in Vienna said that Russia will no longer attend consultations related to European arms control treaty, accusing the West of stonewalling its demands.

However, Russia is still open to further arms control taks, he added.

The move comes as Russia-West relations have plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War times over the Ukrainian crisis.

The 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe treaty limits the number of tanks, aircraft and other heavy non-nuclear weapons deployed on the continent. Russia suspended its participation in 2007, citing NATO countries’ failure to ratify a new version signed in 1999.