Graphics by Joshua Plueger/DVIDS, United States Government works
On 22 November 2020, the Trump Administration pulled out of the 1992 Open Skies treaty claiming Russian restrictions on observation flights and arguing it no longer served US national security interests. Prior to the US withdrawal, Eleven European member states of the treaty expressed their concerns about the pullout.
Why it Matters
Following US withdrawal in 2020 and President Biden’s announcement in 2021 that it would not seek to return to the treaty, Russia withdrew as well. From the outset, the treaty had been viewed as more beneficial to Washington than Moscow with more flights by NATO members and the US over Russia than the other way around. But despite flaws and claimed breaches the treaty supported the post-cold war sentiment for possible security cooperation between former adversaries. Its death further chipped away at means of communication between two nuclear-weapon states.
Further materials:
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2021/01/27/saving-the-open-skies-treaty/
