Report: Russia to limit US military observation flights

Russia will move to limit U.S. military reconnaissance flights in retaliation for a similar move made by the U.S., Russian state media reported Thursday.

Reuters reports that the RIA news agency stated that Russia’s military would begin curbing U.S. flights on Jan. 1 in retaliation for U.S. military restrictions concerning Russian flights near Hawaii and Alaska.

{mosads}

The United States has accused Russia of violating the Open Skies Treaty, which permits unarmed aerial recon flights above the territory of all signatory nations, by restricting U.S. surveillance flights over the militarized region of Kaliningrad.

The U.S. and Russia have engaged in several action-reaction diplomatic incidents in recent months, with the two countries cutting each other’s embassy staffs and shuttering diplomatic compounds in 2017 amid suspicion over Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

In July, Russia removed 755 U.S. diplomatic mission staff from the country in retaliation for a move from Congress to increase sanctions and block President Trump from being able to remove those sanctions.

Russia has been accused by U.S. intelligence agencies of seeking to undermine American democracy during the 2016 presidential election, a charge Russia’s government denies.

Despite the two nations’ conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in November that Trump did not discuss election interference with the Russian leader when the two spoke.

“I just asked him again,” Trump said at the time. “He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election, he did not do what they are saying he did.”