MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/. The Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) has unanimously greenlighted a bill on the denunciation of the Treaty on Open Skies during a session on Wednesday, with 152 senators voting in favor of it.

On May 19, the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) unanimously approved the denunciation bill. It was first planned that the Federation council would also consider the document during its session on May 19, however, it was later put off until June 2. Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko specified that the postponed date is not tied to the upcoming summit between the Russian and US heads of state in Geneva on June 16.

On May 27, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman informed Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov of Washington’s decision not to rejoin the Treaty on Open Skies. Russia has no intention of changing its position with regards to its withdrawal from this accord to please the US, Ryabkov told reporters later.

Washington withdrew from the Treaty on Open Skies in November 2020, citing Moscow’s alleged breaches of its clauses. In January 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia was launching domestic procedures to pull out of the Treaty on Open Skies. Later, President Putin put forward a bill on the denunciation of the treaty to the Russian State Duma. In recent weeks, Moscow has stated repeatedly that the chances of reviving the treaty were minimal.

The Treaty on Open Skies allows its member states to conduct surveillance flights over each other’s territory in order to monitor military activity in accordance with the approved quotas of observer missions. It also regulates flights, determines the control mechanism of adherence to the treaty, contains requirements for aircraft, as well as restrictions regarding the technical parameters of surveillance equipment.