Russia may retaliate against US over military observation flights

US Navy | Reuters

A U.S. Navy picture shows what appears to be a Russian Sukhoi SU-24 attack aircraft making a very low pass close to the U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea in this picture taken April 12, 2016 and released April 13, 2016.

Russia will retaliate against the United States in a rumbling dispute over a treaty that allows both countries to conduct military observation flights over each other’s territory, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday.

The United States has accused Russia of flouting the so-called Open Skies Treaty and said it plans to take retaliatory measures against Moscow which could mean restricting Russian military observation flights over U.S. territory.

Russian news agencies cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Wednesday as saying Moscow was unhappy about Washington’s compliance with the same treaty and would take its own measures against the United States in response to any new U.S. restrictions.