President Donald Trump confirmed the US will be exiting the Open Skies Treaty. This treaty, according to the American leader, was not observed by Moscow.
"I think that we have very good relations with Russia, but Russia did not adhere (to the Treaty. - ed.), " he said.
"So until they adhere, we will pull out. "There's a chance we may make a new agreement or do something to put that agreement back together," Trump added.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in turn, clarified that the US would fully exit the treaty in six months. He also stressed that the White House may reconsider this decision should Russia "return to full compliance with the treaty."
Russia, unlike the United States and other parties to the treaty, according to Pompeo, "for years has defiantly and constantly violated the treaty in various ways," in particular, did not allow or restrict flights under the treaty "when it wants to."
So, according to him, Moscow refused to conduct observation flights in a ten-kilometer corridor along its border with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and "illegally set limits on the range of flights over Kaliningrad", despite the fact that "this enclave has become a place of deployment of a significant military potential."
Also, according to him, Russia in 2019 refused to allow the United States and Canada to conduct a joint flight over the area of major military exercises.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told RIA Novosti that there were no violations of the Treaty by Moscow, and it rejected any attempts to " justify the withdrawal from this fundamental treaty by the presence of certain technical problems."
"There is nothing to prevent the continuation of discussion of these technical issues, which today the US is trying to issue as some violations on the part of Russia," the Russian diplomat said, in particular.
He stressed that in order to continue the dialogue, it is not necessary to withdraw from the treaty, but when it does, it becomes impossible to resolve technical issues.
The diplomat stressed that the OST has maintained peace and security in Europe for more than 20 years and "was an integral part of the military security system, where all elements are interconnected."
Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, told RIA Novosti that the Open Skies Treaty, which the US intends to withdraw from, has provided a higher level of confidence in the military field for two decades.
"Breaking isn't building. The Treaty has worked for two decades and provided transparency and a higher level of confidence in the military field in the transatlantic region, " he stressed.
"But the decision to withdraw seems to explain the United States' thesis of a "new era" of arms control. Apparently, the "new era" means the absence of any control. All this is sad, " Ulyanov added.
The head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Leonid Slutsky, said that Russia had a plan to respond to the US withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty, measures would be taken in accordance with the goals of protecting national security.
"Of course, Russia has a plan to respond to American steps in relation to the OST, although the Treaty has a multilateral character. I am sure that we will make a balanced decision in full accordance with the goals of protecting national security," Slutsky said.
According to him, the US decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty is destructive and threatens the system of military security in Europe.
"The US withdrawal from the Treaty is a destructive decision that could endanger the system of military security on the European continent. This will be another step by the US administration to destroy key agreements in the field of arms control, following the collapse of the INF, " he stressed.
According to Slutsky, in the situation with the Open Skies Treaty, charges against Russia are formed according to the same patterns.
Deputy Secretary of the Civil Chamber Sergey Ordzhonikidze believes that the current US administration is leading the case to the collapse of all international treaties on arms limitation, which is a big mistake from the point of view of international security.
"This step will be a kind of prelude to a new arms race," the expert said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper.
He stressed that the OST is closely linked to the START-3 Treaty, which expires in February 2021 and the extension of which is now in question.
The Open Skies Treaty was signed in 1992 and became one of the confidence-building measures in Europe after the cold war. The Treaty was signed by 34 states.
The Treaty has been in force since 2002 and allows participating countries to openly collect information about each other's armed forces and activities.
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