The United States exited the Treaty on Open Skies on Sunday, six months after the Trump administration signaled it would. The administration cited repeated Russian Federation violations of the treaty designed to allow unarmed aerial surveillance flights by the treaty participants in Europe, Russia, and the U.S. Secretary of State Explained: “At its core, the Treaty was designed to provide all signatories an increased level of transparency and mutual understanding and cooperation, regardless of their size. Russia’s implementation and violation of Open Skies, however, has undermined this central confidence-building function of the Treaty — and has, in fact, fueled distrust and threats to our national security — making continued U.S. participation untenable.”

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A barrage of rockets has hit residential areas of Kabul, killing at least eight people and wounding more than 30, Afghan officials say. More than a dozen rockets were fired from a pickup truck inside the city, the interior ministry said. The regional Islamic State group said it was behind it. The attack happened hours before a meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Taliban negotiators in an effort to resume peace talks.

https://www.bbc.com/