US President Joe Biden’s administration announced Friday it will not return to the Open Skies Treaty, which Donald Trump withdrew from, signaling a toughening stance against Russia.
The post-Cold War treaty was meant to foster trust by allowing the two powers and their allies to monitor one another’s airspace, but Trump left the pact in November citing Russian violations.
Biden, who has said he is open to working with Russia on some international security issues, ruled out a return to the treaty in the run-up to his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 16 in Geneva.
“The United States regrets that the Treaty on Open Skies has been undermined by Russia’s violations,” a State Department spokesman said.
“In concluding its review of the treaty, the United States therefore does not intend to seek to rejoin it, given Russia’s failure to take any actions to return to compliance.”
Moscow announced in January it would leave the treaty, saying there was no progress in making it work in light of Trump’s withdrawal.
Russian lawmakers on May 19 voted to uphold Moscow’s exit, but Putin’s government said it was still prepared to honor the deal if the Americans proposed a “constructive solution.”
Open Skies was signed soon after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992 and came into force in 2002.
The treaty allowed its nearly three dozen signatories to carry out short-notice flights over one another’s territory to monitor potential military operations.
Members include countries across Europe, the former Soviet Union and Canada.
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