Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed a decree instructing the Defense Ministry to end a series of military agreements with 11 Western nations, including Germany, Britain, Poland, and Bulgaria, marking a significant shift in Moscow’s defense relations with NATO countries. The legal order was made public on the Russian government’s official portal for regulatory acts.
The decree specifies the termination of multiple bilateral defense agreements, such as the pact between Russia’s Defense Ministry and Germany’s Ministry of Defense, originally signed in Moscow on April 13, 1993, and a similar agreement with Poland’s Ministry of National Defense dated July 7, 1993. Cooperation agreements with Norway, signed on December 15, 1995, are also affected.
Additional agreements terminated include Romania (March 28, 1994), Denmark (September 8, 1994), the United Kingdom (March 18, 1997), the Netherlands (June 18, 1997), Croatia (December 18, 1998), Belgium (December 19, 2001), and the Czech Republic (April 16, 2002), reflecting a broad rollback of Russia’s formal defense collaborations with Western allies, according to TASS.
Bulgaria remains a key focus in this context. In 1992, Moscow and Sofia signed a Treaty of Friendly Relations and Cooperation, which laid the groundwork for bilateral relations after the Cold War. This treaty, signed on August 4, enabled both countries to pursue joint projects, including in the defense sector. With the current terminations, Moscow signals a departure from long-standing military cooperation frameworks with Bulgaria and the other listed NATO countries.