A group of retired NATO generals and military officials warned Europe of the need to prepare for the United States to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty with Russia, the British newspaper The Guardian reports. In a joint statement, the former military commanders urged Washington not to withdraw from the agreement and noted that European countries should in any case maintain the agreement with Moscow, because they need it.
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Europe should prepare for the United States to withdraw from a vital treaty with Russia, former NATO generals warn. They urge America to remain in the Open Skies Treaty, aimed at reducing the risk of war in the event of an error in the calculations, writes the British newspaper The Guardian.
A group of retired NATO generals and military officials called on the United States to remain in a 1992 agreement on mutual intelligence flights, but at the same time warned European capitals of the need to prepare for the US to withdraw from the agreement.
According to American sources, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are determined to leave the Open Skies Treaty, which, according to European leaders and supporters of arms control, reduces the risk of a war because of miscalculations and adds mutual transparency to the parties.
A joint statement released on Tuesday by a group of 16 retired military commanders and defense ministers coordinated by the European Leadership Network ELN said the Open Skies Treaty is a vital pillar of stability between nuclear powers, the publication emphasizes.
“A multilateral agreement with 34 participating states, including the United States, Russia and most European countries, helped with 1,517 flights over foreign territory with late notification and unarmed flights, – said in a statement. “Throughout the duration of the contract, it contributed to increasing transparency and predictability in military matters, and helped to build trust and mutual understanding.”
If the US withdraws from the treaty, they will lose the right to fly over Russia, but Russian planes will still be able to fly over US military facilities in Europe, The Guardian notes.
According to the article, among the signatories of the statement are the former Chief of Staff of the British Defense General Sir David Richards, the former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Germany General Klaus Naumann and the former Commander of the French Air Defense General Bernard Norlen. They suggest that Europe can lose the most from the US withdrawal from the treaty.
“While the benefits of intelligence and confidence-building for the United States are limited, they are real for the American NATO allies. The strategic benefits for the US from “stability in the Euro-Atlantic region” are also very real. ” – emphasize retired military commanders.
They also called on Russia to abandon violations of the treaty, which were called by its American opponents a reason for withdrawing from the agreement. We are talking about limiting flights over Kaliningrad and creating a closed corridor on the border of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The statement argues that if the United States does withdraw from the treaty, its NATO allies must remain in agreement. It is noted that European states carry out 55% of flights, and almost 59% of Russian flights take place over their territory. European states do not have the capabilities of the United States in the field of satellite surveillance, so they are especially dependent on flights under the Open Skies Treaty, which can be performed under cloud cover, the article explains.
In a statement, former NATO military commanders urge the rest of the treaty to meet within two months after the US withdraws from the agreement to discuss how it would function without Washington. According to The Guardian, among other things, it is necessary to discuss restrictions on what information NATO members can share with the United States.
“It is important that the governments of Western European countries be prepared for this,” emphasizes ELN Research Director Andreas Persbo. – For them, this agreement has a certain value, and it is in their interests to continue flights over Russia, and Russia would like to continue flights over Western Europe. The question is whether all this can be preserved so that Russia does not demand too high a price from Western governments. ”
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