Russia to limit US military observation flights: Report

The US has accused Russia of flouting the Open Skies Treaty, an agreement designed to build confidence between the countries’ militaries which entered into force in 2002.

Moscow will limit the scope of US military observation flights over Russia from January 1 next year in retaliation for American curbs on similar Russian flights over the United States, the RIA news agency reported on Wednesday.

File photo of US President Donald Trump shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Germany on July 7, 2017. (Reuters)

The US has accused Russia of flouting the Open Skies Treaty, an agreement designed to build confidence between the countries’ militaries which entered into force in 2002, and said it plans to take measures against Moscow.

The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported in September that this would include restricting Russian military flights over American territory in response to what it said was Moscow preventing US observation flights over its heavily militarised Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

The US is reported to have been keen to restrict Russian flights over Alaska and Hawaii as well as limiting the distance of Russian observation flights.

RIA on Wednesday cited Georgy Borisenko, a senior foreign ministry official, as saying Moscow would take reciprocal steps to respond to the new US measures from January 1 and limit the territory which US observation flights can fly over.