The Litvinov Protocol extended the Kellogg-Briand Pact's war renunciation to Eastern Europe ahead of its global ratification.
Key Facts
- Date concluded
- February 9, 1929
- Named after
- Maxim Litvinov, chief Soviet negotiator
- Initial signatories
- USSR, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Romania
- Later adherents
- Lithuania, Finland, Turkey, Persia
- Total signatory states
- 9 countries
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Kellogg-Briand Pact of August 27, 1928, renouncing war as an instrument of national policy, required ratification before entering into force globally. Soviet diplomat Maxim Litvinov sought to bring Eastern European states into the pact's framework immediately, without waiting for the lengthy international ratification process to conclude.
On February 9, 1929, the Litvinov Protocol was signed in Moscow by the Soviet Union, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, and Romania. The treaty provided for the immediate entry into force of the Kellogg-Briand Pact among its signatories, formally committing them to renounce war as a component of national foreign policy ahead of the broader pact's global ratification.
Four additional states—Lithuania, Finland, Turkey, and Persia—subsequently adhered to the protocol, expanding its reach across Eastern Europe and the Near East. The agreement was registered with the League of Nations and demonstrated that regional multilateral diplomacy could accelerate the application of broader international peace commitments.
Political Outcome
Immediate regional entry into force of the Kellogg-Briand Pact's war renunciation among nine signatory states