The United States said Tuesday it was reviewing the previous administration's withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty as Russia moved formally to leave the post-Cold War accord meant to build trust.
The United States officially left the pact in November after former president Donald Trump's administration said Russia was violating the agreement that allows the two powers and their allies to monitor one another's airspace.
The administration of President Joe Biden said it was taking another look in consultation with U.S. allies.
"We haven't made a decision on the future of American participation in the Open Skies Treaty. We are actively reviewing matters related to the treaty," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
"Russia's own continuing non-compliance with the treaty is one of several pertinent factors as we take stock of things. As this process continues, we encourage Russia to take steps to come back into compliance with the treaty," AFP cited him as saying.
Moscow announced in mid-January it would leave the treaty, saying there was no progress in making it work in light of the U.S. withdrawal. A government database showed on Tuesday that President Vladimir Putin has submitted the bill exiting the treaty to parliament.
Open Skies was signed soon after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992 and came into force in 2002. The Open Skies pact was one of several major treaties Washington abandoned under Trump.
