WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st May, 2020) The Trump administration's plan to pull the United States out of the Open Skies Treaty is a great moment in arms control history, Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton said in a statement on Thursday.
"US to announce its intention to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty - another great moment in arms control history if and when it happens," Bolton said via Twitter.
Earlier in the day, US media reported citing senior Trump administration officials that the United States will notify Russia on Friday of its plan to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty.
The reports said the Trump administration wants to pull out of the treaty because it believes Russia is violating the accord and also because imagery collected during flights can be obtained faster and cheaper from US government or commercial satellites.
Moscow has not yet received an official notification from Washington about its decision to leave the Open Skies Treaty, but a withdrawal would be a regrettable if it happens, Vladimir Ermakov, the head of the Department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Sputnik.
The Open Skies Treaty, which entered into force in 2002, establishes a program of unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the entire territory of the states who are members of the accord to collect data on military activities.
