President pulls out of Open Skies treaty in snub to Nato

THE US is withdrawing from an international treaty to permit unarmed surveillance flights over member nations.

It is Donald Trump’s latest move to pull the US out of a major global agreement and is set to strain relations with both Moscow and Nato.

The Open Skies treaty was set up to avert conflict and promote trust among 35 nations including the US, Russia and the UK. Democrats accused Mr Trump of undermining European allies who rely on the treaty to keep Russia accountable for its military activities.

Mr Trump ordered a review of Open Skies eight months ago and was informed Russia had violated the pact. He said: “I think we have a very good relationship with Russia, but Russia didn’t adhere to the treaty, so until they adhere to the treaty we will pull out.” The US also concluded that images collected during flights were better obtained using satellites.

Members must make all territory available for observation but Russia restricted them over areas including Moscow, Chechnya and South Ossetia.

Open Skies was first proposed in 1955 by Dwight Eisenhower as a way for the US and the former Soviet Union to monitor each other. Moscow rejected it but the treaty eventually came into force in 2002, and was signed by several dozen other countries.

Mr Trump’s decision could indicate he will also allow a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia to lapse.

♦ John Ratcliffe, a Republican member of Congress from Texas, was last night confirmed as Mr Trump’s new top intelligence official.