China News Agency, Moscow, May 29 (Reporter Wang Xiujun) The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the 28th that the United States should be fully responsible for the current collapse of the Open Sky Treaty.

  The statement said that the United States refused to return to the "Open Skies Treaty", which shows that the United States ignores the interests of Europe and its allies.

Russia has worked hard for the survival of the treaty for a long time, but the US has once again refused to return.

The United States calls on other countries to increase transparency in the military sphere, while it has blocked territories.

  Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said on the 28th that the US’s refusal to return to the Open Skies Treaty is disappointing, and the US has lost another opportunity to make active efforts to strengthen European security.

In addition, the US continues to accuse Russia of violating the treaty, and Russia has responded to it many times.

  Ryabukov emphasized that even if Russia does not participate in the "Open Skies Treaty", Russia's security will be reliably guaranteed.

  Russian President’s Press Secretary Peskov said that the treaty is still there, but the withdrawal of Russia and the United States made the treaty lose its vitality to a large extent.

The Russian side expressed regret for this.

  The Open Skies Treaty was signed in 1992 and entered into force in 2002.

According to the treaty, states parties can conduct unarmed aerial reconnaissance on all territories of other states parties to verify the other party's implementation of international arms control treaties.

The treaty states once included Russia, the United States and most of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states.

  In May 2020, the then-U.S. President Trump accused Russia of violating the "Open Skies Treaty", and the U.S. State Department immediately notified other parties to the treaty of its withdrawal decision.

In November 2020, the United States announced its formal withdrawal from the treaty.

  Russia decided in January this year to start the domestic procedure for withdrawing from the Open Skies Treaty.

On May 19, the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) unanimously passed the draft law on the abolition of the "Open Sky Treaty" submitted by Russian President Putin.

At the same time, the Russian side stated that Russia will formally withdraw from the treaty in December.

If the US announces its return to the treaty before that, then we can start a new diplomatic process.

  The US State Department issued a statement on May 27, stating that in view of Russia’s failure to take measures to re-combide with the "Open Skies Treaty," the United States decided not to seek to rejoin the treaty after evaluation.

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