Russia withdraws from Open Sky Treaty
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed federal law No. 158-Fz, providing for Russia's withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty.
The law was passed by the Russian State Duma on May 19 and approved by the Russian Federation Council on June 2 this year. According to the law, Russia ceases to be a participant in the Treaty when the law comes into force.
The Kremlin said that the U.S. withdrawal from the Treaty, which took place in November 2020, was the reason for Russia terminating its participation in the Treaty. The Kremlin said the U.S. withdrawal was done under "a far-fetched pretext."
The Open Skies Treaty was signed in 1992 in Helsinki, Finland by 23 OSCE member states. It came into force in 2002. The Treaty provides for the flights of reconnaissance aircraft of member countries over the territory of others in order to build confidence and control the use of weapons, including nuclear, by any country. The Treaty consists of 19 articles and 12 addendums.
Russia ratified the treaty in 2001, while Ukraine ratified the document a year earlier than Russia.