MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Washington informed Moscow of its decision not to rejoin the Treaty on Open Skies.

"We confirm this," the Russian diplomatic agency told TASS on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, the Associated Press reported, citing a source, that Russia received a corresponding notice from the administration of US President Joe Biden.

On January 15, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia was launching domestic procedures to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies, justifying this step by a lack of progress in removing obstacles in order for the treaty to remain effective after Washington pulled out of it in November 2020. In April, the US Department of State announced that US authorities have not yet made a decision to return to the treaty. Washington has blamed Moscow for years for selectively implementing the Treaty on Open Skies and violating a number of its provisions. Russia, in turn, has expressed grievances related to Washington’s implementation of the treaty.