Washington violates Open Skies Treaty

SANAA, Nov. 23 (YPA) – The United States formally on Sunday withdrew from the “Open Skies” defense treaty, one of several international agreements that Washington vetoed under outgoing President Donald Trump.
The US State Department said on Sunday, “The American withdrawal came into effect on November 22, 2020, and the United States is no longer a party to the Open Skies Treaty.”

The treaty concluded in 1992 between Russia and the United States and 32 other countries, most of which are members of NATO, allows the army of a member country to carry out a specified number of unarmed reconnaissance flights in the airspace of another member country after being informed of the matter.

The aircraft can survey the territories under it, collect information and images of military installations and activities, with the aim of removing unfounded suspicions between the rival countries, avoiding surprises and reducing the possibility of conflicts.

Trump said in May that Moscow had not honored its obligations under the treaty aimed at bolstering confidence between the two superpowers.

Moscow and Washington have long accused each other of violating the terms of the treaty, and in May the Trump administration said it had announced the six-month deadline required to exit it.

The United States, under Trump, also withdrew from the international nuclear agreement with Iran signed in 2015, as well as the Paris climate agreement.