Russian authorities announced their intention to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty (OST). Recall that this agreement allows the military of 33 countries to carry out inspection flights over each other's territory in order to build confidence and predictability. The decision to leave the OST was explained by the Russian Foreign Ministry as follows: “On November 22, 2020, the United States of America withdrew from the Open Skies Treaty on a far-fetched pretext. Thus, the balance of interests of the participating states, achieved at the conclusion of the treaty, was significantly disturbed, serious damage was caused to its operation, and the role of the OST as an instrument of strengthening confidence and security was undermined. The Russian side put forward concrete proposals corresponding to the fundamental provisions of the treaty to maintain its viability in the new conditions. We state with regret that they did not receive support from the US allies."
      Back in November, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov named two conditions under which Russia was ready to stay in the OST.