US will not rejoin Open Skies Treaty with Russia

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The US State Department said Thursday that President Joe Biden had no plans in regrouping with Russia about the Open Skies Treaty.
• Biden is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir next month.
• Biden’s administration gave sweeping sanctions against Russia.

A representative from the US State Department announced Thursday that the Biden administration was not considering rejoining the Open Skies Treaty with Russia given the Kremlin’s “failure to take any actions to return to compliance.”

The treaty, which came into existence in 1992, permits nation members to administer short notice, unarmed, surveillance flights to other nations to gather data about their military structures and capabilities.

Last year, The Trump administration officially dropped out of the bond because of Russia’s infraction. The latest move would already put away one agenda as President Joe Biden is about to meet and discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June.

“The United States regrets that the Treaty on Open Skies has been undermined by Russia’s violations. 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. Further, Russia’s behavior, including its recent actions with respect to Ukraine, is not that of a partner committed to confidence-building,” the State Department spokesperson said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced earlier this week that the president will discuss strategic stability as one of the main topics with Putin during the meeting.

“We expect they will spend a fair amount of time on strategic stability, where the arms control agenda goes following the extension of New START,” Psaki said at Tuesday’s briefing.

Last month, the White House issued sweeping sanctions against Russia in relation to its alleged 2020 election meddling, hacking of SolarWinds and their illegal occupation of Crimea.

Biden, though, opted not to give sanctions against the company that is constructing Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, arguing that it was necessary to safeguard US relations with European nations.

“I have been opposed to Nord Stream 2 from the beginning,” Biden said Tuesday, adding that the development was “almost completed by the time I took office… And to go ahead and impose sanctions now would I think be counterproductive in terms of our European relations and I hope we can work on how they handle it from this point on.”

Biden’s series of actions were in stark contrast against former President Donald Trump, who repeatedly downplayed Russian involvement in US politics as he considered Putin an ally.

Source: CNN.com