RUSSIA has started to withdraw from the Open Skies treaty in response to the US move in November to do the same, reports Bloomberg News.
Moscow said the outgoing US administration's decision to end its participation in the accord removed a key 'instrument to strengthen trust and security,' according to the Foreign Ministry website.
Moscow blamed US allies in Europe for failing to take the steps needed to preserve the treaty after Washington's pullout.
The treaty, which was signed in 1992 and came into force in 2002, allows countries to fly over each other's territory for unarmed reconnaissance flights. It was intended by its almost three dozen ratifiers to reduce the risk of war.
US officials accused Russia of non-compliance, a charge Moscow denied. The pullout was criticised by Democrats, who urged President-elect Joe Biden to reverse the move.
SeaNews Turkey
Moscow said the outgoing US administration's decision to end its participation in the accord removed a key 'instrument to strengthen trust and security,' according to the Foreign Ministry website.
Moscow blamed US allies in Europe for failing to take the steps needed to preserve the treaty after Washington's pullout.
The treaty, which was signed in 1992 and came into force in 2002, allows countries to fly over each other's territory for unarmed reconnaissance flights. It was intended by its almost three dozen ratifiers to reduce the risk of war.
US officials accused Russia of non-compliance, a charge Moscow denied. The pullout was criticised by Democrats, who urged President-elect Joe Biden to reverse the move.
SeaNews Turkey