Russia has officially pulled out of an international security pact that restricts the use of conventional weapons, saying NATO’s expansion has made such cooperation impossible.

After announcing its intention to exit the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) earlier this year, Russia formally withdrew from the landmark pact at midnight on Tuesday.

Calling it “history”, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the treaty was not catering to Russia’s interests, adding that NATO countries began to circumvent restrictions imposed as the US-led military alliance expanded.

The move comes less than a week after President Vladimir Putin  revoked  his country’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which outlaws all nuclear weapon tests, and test launched  an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads from one of its submarines.