Russia Formally Withdraws from Open Skies Treaty, Marking Major Setback for Military Transparency

In June 2021, the Russian government formally announced the completion of its process to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies, with the treaty ceasing to apply to Russia later that year. The agreement permitted over 30 signatory states to conduct unarmed reconnaissance flights over each other's territories to foster military transparency and trust.

The announcement in Moscow followed the U.S. withdrawal in 2020, with Russia claiming the treaty was no longer balanced and that European allies failed to guarantee against sharing sensitive information with the U.S. Russia's withdrawal delivered a significant blow to the European security architecture. For conservatives, this move was part of Russia's long-term pattern of undermining international arms control and transparency mechanisms, aiming to restore opacity to Russian military operations and consequently increasing the risk of strategic distrust and miscalculation with NATO allies in Europe.