[Anton] Russia to Exit Open Skies Treaty, Escalating Military Rivalry With U.S.

MOSCOW - Russia said on Friday that the upcoming Biden administration is pulling out of a decades-long agreement that a few weeks ago intensified military competition with the United States and Europe, allowing countries to conduct military reconnaissance flights over each other's territory. Negotiations to extend the Central Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty between the two countries.

President Vladimir Putin's decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Agreement is in line with President Donald Trump's actions in May. The agreement, which began in 1992, was limited to the United States, which has a network of reconnaissance satellites, and was important to European allies as a way to control the movement of Russian troops across its borders.

When Trump announced his withdrawal from the United States, which ended late last year, Putin said he "wants to come back and make a deal." He is not. And Russia's move shows that the Joe Biden administration does not intend to facilitate Trump's rejection of a number of arms control and military control agreements.

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Russia's announcement, followed by an official notification to the other parties to the agreement, will begin six months before the final withdrawal. The statement also called for a 60-day meeting of all signatories, including the European countries most concerned about the years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement that US allies did not appear ready to comply with Russia's demands in recent months and would not pass any information gathered through the agreement with Washington.

"The Russian side has made specific proposals to strengthen the agreement on new terms in line with its founding provisions," said the Foreign Ministry. "We are disappointed that they did not have the support of their allies in the United States."

However, the announcement could be seen as the opening of a tough first meeting between Russia and Biden's new administration.

On February 5, the New START nuclear arms control treaty expires if both countries do not agree to an extension for five years. This agreement is the last frontier of nuclear rivalry between the two countries; it limits both nations to 1550 deployed nuclear weapons. Both Putin and Biden have said they generally want to use the clause, which allows the agreement to be extended for up to five years. This provision does not require a new vote in the U.S. Senate, as it is contained in the original agreement negotiated by the Obama administration.

However, it is unclear whether Russia may introduce new requirements. Biden has vowed to "pay the price" for Russia's widespread hacking of U.S. government agencies and corporations, which came to light last month - meaning he is now threatening sanctions on the country, which is in talks to extend the deal.

Another complication is that key members of Biden's cabinet may not be confirmed by the Senate in time for the talks. Therefore, the task of working with Russia falls on Jake Sullivan, a national security adviser who did not require Senate approval.

"I think our diplomats are convinced that the United States cannot return before they make this decision," Fyodor Lukyanov, a foreign policy analyst who advised the Kremlin, was quoted as saying by the state news agency RIA Novosti. "This agreement is not part of the agreement that Biden wants to change."

About three dozen Open Skies treaties were signed by President George W. Bush. Bush after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992. The agreement allowed former enemies of the Cold War to fly over each other's territory using sophisticated sensors to prevent military tensions from escalating into war.