Back off, Russia tells US

The Russian Foreign Ministry yesterday told the United States to step back from a confrontation over military observation flights before the two countries became embroiled in another round of retaliatory measures.

The US has accused Russia of flouting the socalled Open Skies Treaty, an agreement designed to build confidence between the two countries’ militaries, and said it planned to take measures against Moscow.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that would include restricting Russian military flights over American territory in response to what it said was Moscow preventing US observation flights over its heavily militarised Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said yesterday Moscow would respond to any new US restrictions. — Reuters