Russian Foreign Ministry: US withdrawal from Open Skies Treaty is a blow to European security
After the US announced its withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty, Russia affirmed that it will do everything possible to save one of the few pillars of global arms control.
Russia will do everything in its power to save the Open Skies Treaty (OST) after the United States announced it would withdraw from one of the world's few remaining arms control pillars, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, rejecting accusations that Moscow had violated the pact.
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A Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft during a rehearsal marking the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II in Moscow. Photo: Reuters |
“If the US withdraws from this treaty, it will be a blow to the balance.fragile interests between the parties. Therefore, this is not only a blow to the OST but also to European security in general," the Russian Foreign Ministry asserted in a statement after President Donald Trump said the US would withdraw from the treaty.
Entering into force in 2002, the Open Skies Treaty, which includes 35 member states, including Russia and the United States, is considered one of the foundations of the global arms control mechanism, aiming to reduce the risk of armed conflicts breaking out due to lack of transparency between the parties. This treaty allows participating parties to conduct unarmed observation flights over each other's territories.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said that Moscow will try to save this Treaty through negotiations with the US.
"Russia is doing everything possible to preserve the Treaty and believes that resolving differences through negotiations within the Open Skies Consultative Commission is necessary, taking into account the concerns of all parties, including issues with the United States and the implementation of the Treaty by its allies."
The Russian Foreign Ministry also denied that it was in breach of the treaty by preventing the US and Canada from conducting scheduled flights during the Center 2019 exercise, which was held in southern Russia and Central Asia in September 2019 and involved about 128,000 troops and more than 20,000 pieces of equipment. Moscow responded that it was impossible to ensure the security of the joint US-Canada exercise at that time due to the rapidly changing situation during such a large-scale exercise. When Russia proposed an alternative time frame for the flights, the US and Canada refused.
The US has yet to send an official notice to Moscow about its decision to leave the Treaty./.
