Moscow regrets US suspension of cooperation within open skies treaty

Moscow deeply regrets Washington’s decision to suspend cooperation with Russia under the Open Skies Treaty in accordance with the new US defense budget.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik that such a move can be deemed an “intoxication” of international relations.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump signed the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act into law.

According to the bill, the United States will not allocate any funds to implement the Open Skies Treaty until penalties are imposed against Russia for previous violations.

The diplomat stressed that Moscow was concerned over the record-high US allocations for military purposes under the new defense budget and would carefully examine the document.

The Open Skies Treaty has been suspended until the president certifies to US Congress that penalties have been imposed on Russia for previous treaty violations, the document said.