US to ‘officially pull out of Open Skies arms control treaty with Russia TODAY’ after giving Moscow six months’ notice
THE US is withdrawing from its Open Skies arms control treaty with Russia TODAY after giving Moscow six months' notice.
Donald Trump's administration warned back in May that it would withdraw from the 35-nation agreement allowing unarmed surveillance flights over member countries.
It's the administration’s latest move to pull the country out of a major global treaty.
In May, his officials accused Russia of repeatedly violated the pact’s terms.
Senior officials said the pullout would formally take place in six months, after Trump criticized Russia's lack of compliance.
Some believe that Russia has benefited more from the pact than the US.
Fox News' sources pointed out the overflights are seen more as a propaganda boost for Moscow, "which in the past has flown over Trump’s Bedminster club and the nation’s capital in recent years".
The US relies on advanced spy satellites to collect intelligence which is not covered by the treaty, say American politicians.
America's withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty with Russia comes a year after Trump pulled the US out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.
This pact - sealed in 1987 with the Soviet Union - was canned after Moscow was blamed for developing a missile that does not comply with the nuke treaty.
It means the the US is left with just one major arms treaty with Russia, the New Start agreement - which expires in February.
In October, the Associated Press reported that the US and Russia had "inched closer" to a deal to extend their last remaining arms control pact.
Moscow said it could agree to a US-proposed freeze on each side’s nuclear warheads and to extend the New Start treaty by one year.
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In response America said it was ready for a quick deal.