The US has withdrawn from the Treaty on Open Skies due to Russia’s noncompliance, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said on Sunday, making good on a planned move by the outgoing administration of US President Donald Trump.
The move was criticized by a top Democrat, who urged US president-elect Joe Biden to reverse the decision next year.
“Today, pursuant to earlier notice provided, the United States withdrawal from the Treaty on Open Skies is now effective,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter. “America is more secure because of it, as Russia remains in non-compliance with its obligations.”
Photo: AFP
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.
The Trump administration six months ago announced its plan to withdraw.
At the time, Trump predicted that the US plan to withdraw would get Russia to the negotiating table.
“They’re going to want to make a deal,” he said.
US Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that the move was reckless.
“The administration’s decision to abandon the treaty fits into a broader pattern of discarding arms control and non-proliferation agreements, raising deep concerns among our allies about our commitment to their security,” Menendez said in a statement.
Menendez said that Russia would still be able to fly over US assets in Europe, and that Trump’s actions ran counter to US law.
“I urge the incoming Biden administration to rejoin the treaty in a manner consistent with our constitutional structure, and I expect the new administration to consult early and often with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on this and other treaty matters,” he said.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that it “deeply regrets” the US’ pullout.
“This move undermines the military-to-military trust and transparency among regional countries,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) told a daily briefing in Beijing.
“It is hoped that the US should earnestly address the concerns of Russia and other parties to the treaty, and resolve differences through dialogue,” Zhao said.
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