Russian President
said that It is important for the entire world as well.
NOVO-OGARYOVO, May
30. /TASS/. Russia needs to determine the final position on the US withdrawal
from the Treaty on Open Skies, President Vladimir Putin said during an online
meeting of the Russian Security Council on Saturday.
"We clearly need
to determine the final position on the United States’ withdrawal from the
Treaty on Open Skies. Besides, New START [the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty]
will expire soon but no serious talks are underway on the issue, which is
important not only for us but for the entire world as well. We need to discuss
this," Putin said, addressing the permanent members of the Russian
Security Council.
The meeting involved
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Federation Council (the upper house
of parliament) Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma (the lower house of
parliament) Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, deputy head of the Security Council
Dmitry Medvedev, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Head of the
Russian Presidential Office Anton Vaino, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov,
Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Foreign
Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergei Naryshkin and Presidential Envoy for
Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov.
Open Skies Treaty
US President Donald
Trump announced on May 21 that Washington intended to withdraw from the Treaty
on Open Skies, which allows member states to conduct surveillance flights over
one another's territories in order to verify arms control agreements. US
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo specified later that the withdrawal would
take effect in six months’ time. The US authorities cited Russia’s alleged
violations of the treaty to justify the decision. Moscow has repeatedly
rejected such allegations.
New START
New START, which came
into force in 2011, limits Russia and the US to no more than 700 deployed
intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic
missiles (SLBM) and strategic bombers, no more than 1,550 deployed warheads and
800 deployed and non-deployed launchers. The Treaty is set to remain in effect
for ten years (until 2021) unless a new document is signed to replace it. The
document can also be extended for no more than five years (that is, until 2026)
by mutual agreement of the parties.
Source: ITAR-TASS
31-05-2020
