Putin Signs Law to Withdraw from Open Skies Treaty

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Monday that formalizes Russia's withdrawal from the Open Skies security treaty, following Washington's withdrawal from this key post-Cold War defense agreement last year. Moscow announced in mid-January that it would withdraw from the treaty, which allows signatory countries to conduct unarmed reconnaissance flights over each other's territories. It cited a "lack of progress" in preserving the treaty after the United States exited last year. The official document regarding Russia's decision was published on a government website on Monday. This decision comes ahead of an anticipated summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva next week. Biden initially indicated that his administration might reconsider the previous administration’s decision to withdraw from the treaty, but he reaffirmed late last month that Washington would not revisit that stance. In response, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated last week that there was no reason to include the security agreement on the agenda for the meeting between Putin and Biden, as the United States had clarified its position on its future. Russian legislators in both the State Duma and Federation Council previously voted in favor of ending Moscow's participation in the Open Skies Treaty, which was also signed by European countries and former Soviet states, as well as Canada. Moscow and Washington have exchanged accusations of violating the treaty's terms, and former President Donald Trump officially withdrew the United States from it last November. The treaty allows member states to request copies of images captured during observation flights conducted by other members, with the monitored state being notified 72 hours in advance of the flight and receiving notice of its route 24 hours prior, at which point it can propose modifications.