🎙Statement by Deputy Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation A.Yu.MAZUR at the international round table “Militarization of Europe: What Next?” November 9, 2026 ▪️European arms control has become a victim of militarization; NATO lost interest in it 30 years ago. European arms control regimes have become victims of this trend. NATO countries began losing interest in them about 30 years ago, after Soviet troops were withdrawn from Central and Eastern Europe, and the Warsaw Pact, and then the USSR, ceased to exist. Even the Adaptation Agreement to the CFE, which was agreed upon at Russia's initiative and signed in 1999, was never ratified by NATO member states. ▪️ Russia attempted to maintain arms control and de-escalation, but the West rejected all proposals. Russia made efforts to de-escalate tensions. However, these proposals were also rejected by the West. The US withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty and the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO made Russia's withdrawal from the INF Treaty and the CFE inevitable. In early 2022, Russia was forced to launch the Special Military Operation to protect the peaceful population, and to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine. ▪️ The West is sabotaging the Vienna Document and the "Structured Dialogue." The non-implementation of the Vienna Document by a number of participating States—Ukraine and certain NATO members—continues. They do not provide Russia with military information and do not invite our observers to exercises. Since 2022, this work has been scaled back by Western Chairpersonships, and meetings within the Informal Working Group on "Structured Dialogue" have been replaced by NATO-centric gatherings in "small groups" without Russia's participation. ▪️ "Escalation management" is an attempt by NATO to retain freedom of action in confrontation, not de-escalation. Lately, voices have been heard suggesting that it is time to consider how to use existing confidence-building mechanisms for "escalation management." Note that this is not about de-escalation (which requires addressing the root causes of confrontation) nor about preventing incidents and dangerous military activities (there are about a dozen and a half relevant agreements, but Western countries are not ready to conclude new ones, hold the annual military meetings provided for by these instruments to assess their implementation, or maintain channels for operational contacts through military attachés). "Escalation management" means an attempt by NATO and EU countries to retain freedom of action in a highly confrontational environment, counting on a restrained Russian reaction to Western provocations. It is not about de-escalation or preventing incidents. In closed formats, exercises are conducted to rehearse actions that would compel Russia to act exclusively within a Western scenario. ▪️ Militarization and arms control are incompatible. If one looks at the European experience of arms control, it was most successful during periods of transition from confrontation to cooperation, as measures supporting broader political agreements, and based on a certain level of mutual trust. Moving in the opposite direction is impossible because militarization and arms control are incompatible. By creating threats to Russia, European capitals are undermining stability, ultimately weakening their own security. The lack of orderly communication channels increases the risks of a crisis spiraling out of control. ▪️ Conditions are needed for dialogue: withdraw forces, stop provocations, and abandon the course of "strategic defeat" of Russia. Necessary conditions must be created for this, including ceasing attempts to "inflict strategic defeat on Russia", withdrawing foreign armed forces from our borders, and abandoning provocations. Our vision of such conditions is outlined in the draft agreements on security guarantees proposed by Russia to the US and NATO in 2021. Delegation on social media: 💙VK 💬Telegram 💬X 📺YouTube 📺Rutube 💬Facebook