Thread by @alxgraef

Amb. Kelin makes six claims about alleged U.S. 'breaches', most of which are difficult to access without more detailed information. Yet, if "US grievances over Russian ‘non-compliance’ relate to trivial matters", the same is true vice versa. 1/12
rusi.org/commentary/ope…

Half of these claims are new to the public. Several of them are deliberate, official retaliatory measures introduced in September 2017 to “encourage” Russia to return to full compliance with the Treaty. 2/12

1. Failure to ensure safe arrival at the point of entry/exit, by refusing to provide the required number of intermediate airfields /// Term "intermediate airfields" is unclear. Decision No 2/05 is about transit flights and flights from the border to the point of entry. 3/12 ///

Here the parties shall designate one or more airfields for making such stops. Unclear, however, what is the "required number" from the U.S. border to Travis AFB or Dulles IAP (U.S. points of entry/exit). 4/12

2. US has cancelled night-time rest stops for observation aircraft crews at four airfields, which “violates the observing party’s right to conduct observation flights at the established maximum flight distance while respecting the crew’s workload limits” 5/12 ///

Workload limits relate to courtesy, not special treaty provisions or OSCC decisions. This might be of course still relevant, and cause for grievance, because it undermines “effective observation” as enshrined in the treaty. 6/12

3. US violated the Treaty by establishing a maximum flight distance over Hawaii from the Hickam refuelling airfield. /// Annex E 5B (2) allows to establish special procedures, “including the possible use of refuelling airfields” for territories separated by more than 600 km 7/12

The term “procedures” has not been specified. Of course, one could argue that it does not relate to “maximum flight distance” but only to the “use” of refueling airfields. Yet even though, it remains unclear to me how Moscow calculated the 1,160 km as the ‘right’ distance. 8/12

4. US imposed restrictions on observation flights over the Aleutian Islands, according to which the observation aircraft always has to remain within the outer limit of the adjacent zone, spanning 24 nautical miles from the coast. 9/12 ///

In contrast to point 3, the U.S. has never publicly announced this measure. Indeed, there is no exact provision for such restriction, but a possible explanation is, once again, the application of Annex E 5B (2) and the use of “special procedures”. 10/12

5. The cancellation by the US of night-time rest stops at two refuelling airfields in Alaska effects the safety of the observation flight since this measure increases the crew’s workload up to 14–16 hours. /// See point 2. 11/12

6. US is imposing restrictions on the minimum altitude of observation flights over its territory. /// If true, Moscow is right. The treaty does not allow to establish altitude restrictions, although state parties occasionally impose them, including Russia. 12/12