Russia considers dropping European treaty

MOSCOW, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Russia is threatening to abandon a European weapons and troop treaty unless NATO is forbidden a presence in Baltic states, the Moscow Times said Tuesday.

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov made the remarks at an international security conference in Munich.

He said the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, negotiated in the 1980s between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Warsaw Pact, does not include Baltic countries, which are scheduled to become NATO members in April.

Ivanov's comments come as the United States is considering a wide-ranging reorganization of its forces based in Europe.

Independent military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said despite Ivanov's rhetoric, Russia is not likely to unilaterally pull out of the treaty.

"Russia is clamoring for ratification of the treaty to happen, and the Baltic states to be included," he said. "But the West says Russia must first withdraw from Georgia and Moldova."