Russian diplomats declare the doom of the Open Skies Treaty
Image Courtesy: Air Force Times

Withdrawal from the agreement between the United States and Russia makes it impossible to extend the Open Skies Treaty (OST). Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, said this to journalists.

The diplomat noted that without the participation of the Russian Federation and the United States, the agreement is not viable.

The Treaty on Open Skies was signed on March 24, 1992 in Helsinki. Russia ratified it on May 26, 2001. 34 states participated in the agreement. According to the terms, the parties to the agreement received the right to conduct reconnaissance flights in each other’s territories.

On May 21, 2020, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington was withdrawing from the agreement . After that, the Russian side also began the process of denunciation of the treaty. On May 28 this year, the US State Department confirmed the final withdrawal from the agreement.

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