Russia should "profit from the moratorium" by strengthening its forces in the west is the opinion of Former USSR Deputy Defense Minister, Colonel General Vladislav Achalov.

Russia is suspending participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, as President Vladimir Putin finally signed a law. The move, although expected, was bemoaned by the United States.

The upper house of the Russian parliament has voted unanimously to suspend Moscow's participation in a key arms treaty dating from the Cold War.

Estonia's government decided on Thursday to set up a commission on joining the adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty before Russia's moratorium comes in force on December 12.

Moldova’s foreign minister said Friday that Russia 's pulling out of a key European arms control treaty could make Moldovan efforts to have some 1,500 Russian troops withdrawn from its territory fruitless.

Russia's lower house of parliament has voted in favor of President Putin's bill to impose a moratorium on the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty.

The U.S. and NATO are concerned over Russia's threat to withdraw from the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) and are ready to look at ratifying the document, the assistant secretary of state said.

Germany and France have urged Russia to withdraw its threat to suspend compliance with a 1990 treaty limiting conventional forces in Europe.

Hungary's defense minister said on Friday that his country would be among the first to ratify the amended Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty if Russia and NATO were to agree on the issue.

The lower house of Russia's parliament postponed until November hearings on a bill submitted by President Vladimir Putin on imposing a moratorium on the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty.

Russia will not scale up armaments for the duration of a moratorium on the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, a senior Defense Ministry official told Russia's parliament Wednesday.

Russia welcomes Germany's initiative to hold an international conference on the future of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) in October, a Foreign Ministry official said Friday.