Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States is withdrawing from the 1992 Open Skies Treaty, saying it is being used to “undermine international peace and security.” The US has been threatening to withdraw for awhile, though Pompeo says the US might consider returning to the Treaty if Russia makes concessions. President Trump went on to say the US might reconsider leaving the treaty entirely at some point.
The treaty is meant to allow the US and Russia, along with other member states, freedom to conduct surveillance overflights of one another. This was intended to be a trust-building concession, allowing each nation the freedom to check and make sure the other isn’t building up a big offensive against them.
In the course of pulling out of the INF Treaty, the Trump Administration has been critical of Open Skies for some time, accusing Russia of not giving them unfettered access to the exclave of Kaliningrad. The Pentagon insisted this meant the treaty no longer benefits the US.
As a practical matter spy satellites probably give the US all the aerial imagery they need, but withdrawing from the treaty is another dangerous escalation of a diplomatic row with Russia. Russian officials maintain they support Open Skies with or without the US.
With the loss of INF, Open Skies, and the imminent expiration of New START, the US and Russia are going to find themselves with few treaties designed to prevent military exchanges, and a lot of new opportunities for arms races. So far there is little sign anyone is going to do anything about it.
Germany.
While asking other nations to persuade the US against leaving the Open Skies Treaty, Berlin said it will stick to the trust-building pact, highlighting limits on how far NATO allies are willing to follow Washington’s every whim.
Watch for Pompeo diplomacy – arm twisting, bullying and threats against US NATO allies who are not willing to follow the US.
The pathetic US NATO puppets and also the biggest Russophobes, the 3 Baltics and Poland will want to join the US.
The US admin. is so pathetic and cowardly, always blaming others for US withdrawing, breaking and cancelling, treaties, agreements and memberships.
Another example of Trump wanting better relations with Russia. Sanctions, leaving treaties and selling more lethal weapons to Ukraine. Similar to how he talked about Saudi Arabia during his campaign and then made his first official visit a sword dancing, orb rubbing, Iran bashing love fest to that very country. He did keep his promise of being loyal to Adelsen’s money though.
Spot on!!
When the Cold war ended and the Warsaw Pact disbanded the Soviets went home. The Americans advanced and have ground forces near Russia’s borders. Those areas mentioned that Russia banned are near where American forces sit just outside their border, so they don’t like aerial recon there for tactical defense reasons.
Another of many back to the past steps by the US.
A joint statement by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Sweden issued on Friday described the US decision as regrettable, saying, however, that they would remain committed to the key treaty.
Pompass trying to throw his weight around again. Don’t they get that they’ve derstroyed any name recognition that the US had?
China is not signatory to the Open Skies Treaty, which is probably why the U.S. left. No Pacific Asian nation has Open Skies.
Leaving the treaty just means no-one can make overflights of the U.S..
Diplomatically, its bad, but in practice, no real change as the U.S. and Russia rely more on satellite recon than air recon. Smaller Western nations like Sweden don’t appear to regularly overfly the U.S..
Open Skies would be more important to signatories without an extensive satellite surveillance network, but its hard to imagine the Kazakhstan military overflying the U.S..