MOSCOW, May 28. /TASS/. The Kremlin deplores Washington’s decision not to rejoin the Treaty on Open Skies, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

"We can only express regret here," he said when asked to comment on the US decision.

"The treaty is still there, but without the US and Russia, it will lose much of its viability," the Kremlin spokesman predicted.

When asked if there could be another form of cooperation in that area, Peskov pointed out that "everything else refers to strategic stability issues and confidence-building measures," of which the Treaty on Open Skies is still a part.

US' Russia pull out of Treaty on Open Skies

A US Department of State spokesperson confirmed to TASS on Thursday that the United States did not plan to rejoin the Treaty on Open Skies.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced on January 15 that Moscow was launching domestic procedures to exit the Treaty on Open Skies, citing the lack of progress in removing obstacles to the treaty’s continued function following Washington’s pullout in November 2020. The US Department of State said in April that the American authorities had not yet made a final decision on rejoining the deal.

For years, the US had blamed Russia for selectively implementing the Treaty on Open Skies and violating a number of its provisions. Moscow, in turn, laid claims against Washington’s implementation of the accord. On May 19, Russia’s State Duma (the lower house of parliament) unanimously passed a bill denouncing the treaty. The Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) is expected to consider the bill on June 2.