Relief of international tension

The period of detente, spanning predominantly the late 1960s and 1970s, became a time of significant reduction in the intensity of confrontation between the superpowers. After the extremely dangerous Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the leadership of the USSR and the USA realized the necessity of establishing rules of engagement that would help avoid a nuclear catastrophe. The Soviet Union actively initiated dialogue, transitioning from the rhetoric of the inevitability of conflict to a policy of peaceful coexistence, which became a fundamental shift in the foreign policy of the Brezhnev era.

One of the first significant steps on this path was the signing of the Moscow Treaty of 1963 banning nuclear weapons tests in three environments. This agreement, initiated with the active participation of the USSR, put an end to open nuclear explosions in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater, which significantly reduced the level of radioactive contamination of the planet and demonstrated the possibility of cooperation even under conditions of ideological confrontation. Following this, the Soviet Union became one of the key initiators of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of 1968. Moscow ratified this document, committing itself not to transfer nuclear technologies to third countries and working toward reducing its own arsenals, which created the legal basis for global security and the prevention of new nuclear powers.

The pinnacle of detente policy came in the early 1970s, when a series of summit meetings took place between the leaders of the USSR and the USA. In 1972, the Basic Principles of Relations between the USA and the USSR were signed in Moscow, along with the Interim Agreement on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (SALT I) and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. These documents were unprecedented in the history of the Cold War, as for the first time both sides agreed not to strive for military superiority but to limit the growth of their arsenals. Soviet diplomacy achieved recognition of parity between the superpowers, which stabilized the strategic situation in the world and reduced the risk of a sudden nuclear strike.

The most important event of the mid-1970s was the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which concluded with the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in 1975. The Soviet Union regarded this achievement as a major diplomatic success, since Western countries officially recognized the inviolability of post-war borders in Europe and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states. This cemented the geopolitical outcomes of World War II and reduced tensions on the European continent, which remained the most likely theater of military conflict. In exchange, the USSR accepted obligations regarding human rights, which subsequently influenced internal processes in the country, but at the time of signing was perceived as a guarantee of stability.

Beyond military-political treaties, detente manifested itself in the expansion of scientific-technical and cultural cooperation. A vivid symbol of this period was the experimental Soyuz–Apollo flight in 1975, when Soviet and American spacecraft docked in orbit for the first time. This project demonstrated that even under conditions of competition, joint resolution of complex technical problems was possible. Simultaneously, trade was developing, including the well-known grain supply deals, and cultural exchanges were increasing, which contributed to reducing the level of distrust between the peoples of the two blocs.

However, the process of detente proved complex and not without contradictions. By the late 1970s, relations began to cool again due to disagreements over regional conflicts and human rights issues. The introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979 effectively ended the period of detente, leading to a new spiral of tensions. Despite this, the achievements of the detente era did not pass without a trace. The system of arms control treaties created at that time laid the foundation for subsequent agreements on the reduction of nuclear arsenals, and the principle of mutual security remained a key element of international politics even after the collapse of the Soviet Union.