Russia had no plans to resume its participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Friday.
"Russia's stance remains unchanged. That's why the moratorium will remain in place until suitable alternatives are proposed to us," he said, adding that Russia's military interests were unaffected by the moratorium.
He said the issue was discussed with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, but no progress was made.
Russia imposed a unilateral moratorium on the CFE treaty in December 2007, citing concerns over NATO's eastward expansion, U.S. missile shield plans for Europe, and the alleged refusal of the alliance's new members to ratify the adopted version of the treaty.
Russia has repeatedly said it will resume its participation in the CFE if NATO countries ratify the adapted version of the treaty, signed on November 19, 1999 and so far ratified only by Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Moscow considers the original CFE treaty, signed in December 1990 by 16 NATO countries and six Warsaw Pact members, to be discriminatory and outdated since it does not reflect the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc, the breakup of the Soviet Union, or NATO eastward expansion.
WASHINGTON, September 17 (RIA Novosti)
