The U.S. government on May 21 informed its allies of intention to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies. The administration of President Donald Trump has long contemplated this move, citing Russian infractions and abuse of the treaty. The announcement came as separate leaks suggested that the Trump administration is considering a limited extension of New START, the treaty that governs the number of nuclear weapons Russia and the United States maintain. These actions add to the broader dismantling of the global arms control framework . The Treaty on Open Skies provides the United States and Russia, as well as its European signatories, with the ability to conduct observation flights over each other's territory as a means to achieve stability and trust by allowing mutual visibility of military facilities and deployments.