Russia deems possible withdrawal from Open Skies Treaty

Moscow, May 11 (Prensa Latina) The Kremlin's spokesperson, Dmitri Peskov, on Tuesday noted that the United States receives information from signatory countries of the Open Skies Treaty (OST), while Russia does not, on explaining the reasons for the country's possible exit from the deal.

May 11, 2021
14:31

On Tuesday, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin submitted to the State Duma (Lower House) a bill to denounce the OST, in view of Washington’s withdrawal from it, Sputnik news agency reported.

The press secretary of the Russian Presidency pointed out that, on more than one occasion, Putin explained Moscow’s arguments for taking such a decision, taking into account that the United States left the Treaty in November 2020.

In statements to the press, he indicated that, nevertheless, the US authorities continue to receive information from the members of the Atlantic Alliance, while Russia does not.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on January 15 on the initiation of internal procedures to withdraw the country from the Treaty of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), signed in Helsinki on March 24, 1992.

The Ministry explained that the country is taking this step due to the lack of progress in removing obstacles that would allow to continuing with the deal’s implementation after the United States withdrew from it in November 2020.

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