The restriction on the observation flights of Russian military over the territory of the United States can enter into force on January 1, 2018, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Moscow did not receive official notifications from the American side, but it is possible that Washington's decision to ban Russian military observers from flying over the US territory will be announced today, September 26, in Vienna, where the plenary session of the open sky commission. This was reported to RIA Novosti by the Director of the Department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Ulyanov. Earlier on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported, with reference to its own source, that the US authorities are planning to prohibit Moscow from observing flights over Alaska and Hawaii by Russian military pilots in the framework of the Open Skies Treaty of March 24, 1992. As stated in the article, thus Washington intends to react to the "ban of the Kremlin to fly over Kaliningrad". Under the agreement, its participants are allowed to conduct reconnaissance flights with a range of up to 5,500. km above the territory of a foreign state.

However, Russia has established a limit of 500 km for its enclave.

The American military did not like this restriction very much. Their prohibitive measures they call "a way to return the RF to the framework of the Treaty". According to Ulyanov, Moscow does not consider Washington's claims to be justified. The diplomat recalled that earlier the US, Canada, Turkey and Georgia had imposed restrictions on their flights over their territory, but this did not cause other negative reactions in others.

Currently, 34 States are parties to the Treaty on Open Skies.