Russia has lost confidence in the United States and is no longer considering Washington as a negotiable partner. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Ryabkov, commenting on the results of online negotiations of countries participating in the Open Skies Treaty (DON).

“We have lost confidence in Washington as a counterparty and, probably, we need to begin to restore it gradually, to do this through tactics of small steps,” he told Izvestia.

The diplomat added that over the course of “almost a decade” the United States has taken the path of “sequential dismantling of various structures and mechanisms that existed in relations between Moscow and Washington.”

“And recently, in this category of what is being dismantled and sent, excuse me, to the dump of history by the Americans, treaties and agreements are getting more and more. This is a sad development, ”Ryabkov stated.

He noted that in the negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States it was not possible to bring their positions closer.

“There was no rapprochement between the representatives of Russia and the USA. It was, rather, a mutual exchange of reproaches and claims. There is no visible political will on the part of the United States to seek a solution and correct those deficiencies with the fulfillment of the agreement and deviation from the requirements of the agreement to which we constantly point out to them, the diplomat said. “I’m quite sure that the US will withdraw (from the agreement. - RT ).”

  • Sergey Ryabkov
  • RIA News
  • © Mikhail Voskresensky

The Conference of the States Parties to the Don took place on July 6 in the form of video communication. The reason for its implementation was the US decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty. At the event, the parties evaluated the consequences of this step, and also discussed the procedure for the further functioning of this international agreement. The Russian Federation was represented by Sergey Ryabkov.

According to the deputy minister, other members of the Don Organization Treaty consider the US withdrawal from the treaty as a resolved issue, despite the fact that Washington’s formal participation in this agreement will cease in November 2020.

“Many seem to have come to terms with this internally,” Ryabkov said.

According to him, further actions of Russia in relation to the Open Skies Treaty have not yet been determined.

“Of course, (we are considering) all the scenarios, nothing is predetermined yet. Much depends on the behavior of the participants (the agreement), on the solution of those issues that we have paid attention to: there are many organizational issues that arise with the release of the United States, there are a number of technical solutions, there are larger topics related, for example, to the need for redistributing quotas on flights and so on, ”he said.

The Russian diplomat emphasized that at the moment there are no signs that other countries will follow the United States and withdraw from the Don. At the same time, he added that at the same time, Washington’s allies are not ready to “help solve the problems that exist.”

Ryabkov also said that the next meeting of the advisory commission on DON will be held on July 13, and in October a review conference will be held.

Exit course

The Open Skies Treaty was signed on March 24, 1992 in Helsinki by representatives of more than 20 CSCE participating States (since 1995, the OSCE). Entered into force on January 1, 2002. It gives the right to the parties to the agreement to fly over each other's territories to monitor military activities. Today, its participants are 34 states, including the Russian Federation.

US President Donald Trump announced the decision to leave DON on May 21. This measure should come into force six months after the announcement of the denunciation of the agreement.

Washington motivated this step by allegedly Russia's non-compliance with the terms of the treaty. The Russian Foreign Ministry called these allegations unfounded and pointed out the pernicious denunciation of DON for world security.

In addition, the Russian side also announced claims to the United States regarding its compliance with the provisions of the Open Skies Treaty. At the same time, Moscow noted that within the framework of the DON, the parties have all the possibilities and mechanisms to solve all the existing problems.

NATO allies themselves have not yet denounced DON. At the same time, a number of countries in Europe were critical of the Americans breaking the treaty. So, in early June, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called it "a bitter failure."

The Open Skies Treaty is not the first agreement the United States tore under President Trump. Earlier, Washington withdrew from the Paris climate agreement, a nuclear deal with Iran and the Treaty on intermediate and shorter-range missiles (INF Treaty).

The fate of the Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty (START III) is at stake. It expires in February 2021, and so far the United States has not shown a desire to extend it, despite Moscow’s willingness to do so.

  • Boeing OC-135B aircraft participating in the Don program
  • © Wikimedia Commons

According to Konstantin Blokhin, an employee of the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, until November, when the United States officially stops participating in the Don, most likely, nothing will change in Washington’s position, since withdrawing from this agreement is part of the White House’s strategy.

“It is unlikely that until the fall it will be possible to agree on a DON. The US withdrawal from this treaty is a logical step of the republican administration, which purposefully shakes strategic stability in the world in order to free its hands. First there was the INF Treaty, now - DON. Apparently, soon the same fate will befall START III, according to which, most likely, it will also not be possible to agree, ”he said in an interview with RT.

According to experts, such a policy began long before Trump. In 2001, when George W. Bush was the country's president, the United States announced its withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Defense (ABM) Treaty. This was one of Washington’s first steps toward destroying the global security architecture that Russia and the US have built for years, analysts say.

“The loss of confidence in the United States, which Ryabkov spoke of, began long before Trump came to power. After his victory, by the way, there was at least some illusion of improving the situation, because he spoke of the need to improve relations with Russia. But the establishment did not allow him to take the path of normalizing relations, ”Blokhin believes.

 “There can’t be any talk of trust”

According to experts, the statement by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov about the lack of confidence in Washington is based on many years of experience in negotiating with the United States.

“When at a systematic level, Washington officials declare that Russia is an enemy and an adversary, when the United States is constantly withdrawing from the treaties, reviewing and refusing them unilaterally, then there is no question of trust,” - says Konstantin Blokhin.

In turn, an expert from the Association of Military Political Scientists Andrei Koshkin recalled that US policy on international agreements is only part of the factors that reduce confidence.

“The matter is not only in these agreements. After all, since the time of the USSR, we are constantly under pressure from all kinds of sanctions: political, diplomatic, military, economic. What kind of trust can we talk about here? But, despite this, we always met in matters related to the stabilization of the situation in many problem areas of the planet, which cannot be said about the USA, ”the analyst said in an interview with RT.

  • Donald Trump
  • Reuters
  • © Leah Millis

At the same time, experts drew attention to the fact that a crisis of confidence is also observed in relations between the United States and European allies. One of the evidence for this they call the reluctance of Europeans, following Washington, to break international agreements.

“Denunciation of DON, like the INF Treaty, hits Europeans first of all. In this sense, Trump, like no other, hit the vaunted Euro-Atlantic solidarity. By his actions, he revealed abscesses and long-accumulated problems in relations between allies. He pursues exclusively American interests, and not the interests of a certain collective West. Therefore, the European and American bureaucracies cannot wait for the time when he will leave his post, ”Blokhin explained.

Andrei Koshkin agrees with this point of view.

“European states have delegated to the United States their security rights, but in response they see exclusively American selfish policies. They are unhappy and are now seriously thinking about the contradictions that exist between them and the United States. This is increasingly being said by EU leaders. For example, French President Macron, who announced the death of NATO’s brain, ”said the expert.

According to analysts, such US behavior is due to the weakening of their positions in the world. Other states and associations, such as Russia, China or the EU, are building up their potential, and therefore, under the current system of international agreements, Washington has less and less leverage for dominating the world.

“The possibilities of the USA as a hegemon and a world leader are melting before our eyes. Therefore, in an effort to maintain this status, they are becoming increasingly dangerous and unpredictable. This process is fraught with global crises and instability, ”said Blokhin.

In these conditions, the expert believes, the international community should make every effort to prevent the escalation of tension in the world.

“We must not allow the loss of control over the situation, which is exactly what the US policy is dangerous. It is necessary to toughly respond to Washington’s actions, ”Blokhin concluded.