Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law to officially quit the Treaty on Open Skies, the Kremlin said on Monday.
The multilateral Treaty on Open Skies, which came into effect in 2002, allowed its states-parties to conduct short-notice, unarmed reconnaissance flights over the others’ territories to collect data on military forces and activities.
Washington after announcing its withdrawal last year, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in January that the country had started domestic legal procedures for the official pullout from the treaty.
The Russian Federation Council, or the upper house of parliament, passed a bill on Wednesday to endorse Russia’s withdrawal from the treaty.
