TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus’ parliament voted Wednesday to suspend the country’s participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, once a key security doctrine for the continent, a 1990 agreement that ended last year was abandoned by Russia.
The bill, introduced earlier this month by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, could pave the way for Belarus – Russia’s ally in the war in Ukraine – to expand its military. Lawmakers in Belarus unanimously approved the bill calling for the treaty to be suspended; Lukashenko must now sign the bill before it becomes law.
The treaty, signed in 1990, limits the tanks, combat vehicles, combat aircraft and heavy artillery that can be deployed in Europe. It aimed to maintain a military balance between the West and the countries that were part of the Cold War Warsaw Pact.
However, Russia withdrew from the treaty completely in November 2023 and NATO states parties to the treaty responded by suspending their participation just hours later.
Belarus hosts Russian tactical nuclear weapons, along with missiles and troops. The country has been used by Russia as a base to send troops into Ukraine, but Belarusian forces have not taken part in the war, which is now in its third year.
According to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, the treaty mandated that Belarus’ armed forces would not exceed 100,000 troops and personnel. There are currently 63,000 troops and personnel in the Belarusian army, and approximately 300,000 men are in the reserve.
Military experts say Belarus – which shares a border with Ukraine and NATO member states Latvia, Lithuania and Poland – will be able to expand its military and amass more weapons after suspending its participation in the treaty, although this does not mean that this will definitely happen. to happen.
Alexander Alesin, a military analyst based in the Belarusian capital Minsk, told The Associated Press that the country’s withdrawal from the treaty was due to Russian dissatisfaction with Belarus still officially included in the agreement .
“Russia was very unhappy,” Alesin said. The withdrawal “loosens Belarus’ hands, but this does not automatically mean that the number of conventional weapons in the country will increase.”
“Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which is much more frightening for neighboring NATO countries,” he added.
