In a classified State Department memo obtained by Newsweek, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested Russia may been capturing images of infrastructure for the purposes of targeting it with 'conventionally-armed, precision-guided weapons.'
first reported Thursday that the U.S. plans on withdrawing from the post-Soviet era pact that permits signatories to conduct surveillance flights over each other's territories to ensure compliance with arms controls and other agreements. Thirty-four nation parties have signed on to the treaty since it was established in 1992.
Evelyn Farkas, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, called the decision an"abandonment of our European allies."."It is a confidence-building exercise for our European allies who rely on these flights to know what the Russians are doing since they don't have access to satellite technology."that expires one week after the U.S.
The document did not disclose how Pompeo knew the Russians were identifying such targets and they did not give any information to corroborate the claim. Farkas acknowledged that there is"some legitimacy" to the notion that Russia has obstructed access to overflights but cautioned that unilateral withdrawal"harms the interests of our allies in Europe."
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