蓝鹰
By Lan Ying
12月18日，俄罗斯外交部发布公告，宣布自当日起正式退出《开放天空条约》。俄外交部表示，俄方是被迫退出《开放天空条约》，美国应承担全部责任，美国单方面破坏条约的真实目的就是挑起“军备竞赛”。
The Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement on December 18 announcing the country’s official exit from the Treaty on Open Skies, a step it said it was forced to take, adding that the US should bear all responsibilities for the situation today as it unilaterally jeopardized the treaty earlier with the aim of stirring up an “arms race”.
《开放天空条约》于1992年签署，2002年生效，先后共计有34个国家签署了这一条约。按规定，条约缔约国可对彼此领土进行非武装方式的空中侦察，以检查其执行国际武器控制条约的情况，执行空中侦察的飞机可配备照相设备、雷达等，但是不得携带武器。这一条约是冷战结束后俄罗斯与北约大部分国家间的一个重要信任措施。
Signed in 1992 and taking effect in 2002, the Treaty on Open Skies was signed by 34 countries successively. According to the treaty, contracting countries can conduct non-armed air reconnaissance on each other’s territory to check their performance of international arms control treaties, and the airplane carrying out such reconnaissance can be fitted with cameras and radars but not weapons. The treaty was an important trust-building measure between Russia and most NATO countries after the end of the Cold War.
随着美国战略重心转移，这份条约被美国认为是束缚其军事能力的一个羁绊。2020年5月，时任美国总统特朗普指责俄罗斯违反《开放天空条约》，美国国务院随即向条约其他缔约国通报退约决定。同年11月22日，美国正式退出条约。正是在这种情况下，俄罗斯不得不也退出这一条约作为对等回应。
However, the US began to see it as a shackle on its military forces as the country shifted its strategic focus. In May 2020, the then US President Donald Trump accused Russia of violating the treaty, and the US Department of State notified the other contracting parties of its decision to withdraw immediately, which became official on November 22 that year. This gave Russia no other option but to pull back from the treaty as well.
实际上，《开放天空条约》在美俄两国间的废止近年来已有苗头，尤其是美国一方的出尔反尔和无端指责，造成双方在侦察设备、侦察路线和侦察时机等问题上出现了不少分歧，导致《开放天空条约》的履行面临重重困难。
In fact, forebodings of the treaty’s termination have appeared in recent years. In particular, America’s self-contradiction and groundless accusations have led to plenty of divergences on the equipment, route and timing of reconnaissance, making the implementation of the treaty extremely difficult.
一方面，美国近年来对俄方的履约飞行屡屡设置障碍。2016年，美国拒绝为俄方观察飞机提供足够数量的中间机场。2017年，美国又取消了设在罗宾斯和埃尔斯沃斯的机组成员夜间休息站。2018年，美国军方以俄军图-214侦察机上安装的新型电子光学相机不符合条约规定，而长期拒绝其入境。
On the one hand, the US has set numerous obstacles for Russia’s flights in recent years. In 2016, it refused to provide enough intermediate airports for Russian surveillance aircraft. In 2017, it canceled the night rest stations for crews at Robins air force base and Ellsworth air force base. In 2018, the US military persistently denied access to Russia’s Tu-214 reconnaissance aircraft because the new electro-optical cameras onboard allegedly didn’t conform to rules.
不仅如此，美国国务院还在其声明中指责俄方存在违约行为：一是俄方限制在加里宁格勒、莫斯科以及俄罗斯与格鲁吉亚南奥塞梯和阿布哈兹接壤地区的10公里范围内实施观察飞行；二是俄方指定使用位于克里米亚的机场进行加油，用以彰显对克里米亚的主权；三是2019年，俄方拒绝美国和加拿大提出的对俄军“中部-2019”战略演习进行观察飞行的申请。
Moreover, the US Department of State listed treaty violations by the Russia side in its statement. It claimed that Russia restricted observation flights over Kaliningrad, Moscow, and the 10km radius around the border regions between Russia and Georgia’s South Ossetia and between Russia and Abkhazia; Russia designated the airport in Crimea for refueling as a sign of its sovereignty over Crimea; and Russia in 2019 refused America and Canada’s request to conduct an observation flight over Russian military’s “Tsentr 2019” strategic exercise.
另一方面，美俄双方在侦察飞行的具体实施上呈现出明显的不对等。据统计，美国对俄罗斯的观察次数是俄罗斯对美国观察次数的3倍。2002年-2016年，美国在俄罗斯领空总计实施了196架次的观察飞行。而同期，俄罗斯在美国领空仅实施了71架次观察飞行。
On the other hand, the US and Russia are not on an equal footing in observation flights. Statistics show that the US had conducted three times more observation flights over Russia than the other way round – America 196 times in Russian airspace and Russia 71 times in American airspace from 2002 to 2016.
美俄退出《开放天空条约》，受影响最大的是欧洲国家。对于欧洲来说，《开放天空条约》不仅是一个建立信任和减少冲突危险的措施，更是一个鼓励欧洲国家之间加强合作，建立一个新欧洲的象征。因此，美国的“毁约退群”首先影响的就是北约欧洲成员国的安全信心。
The exit by the US and Russia from the Treaty on Open Skies exerts the greatest impacts on European countries as the treaty is not only a measure to build trust and reduce the risk of conflicts, but also a symbol of building a new Europe through intensified cooperation. Therefore, what America’s act of “tearing up treaties and pulling out of organizations” hurts first and most is the confidence in the security of NATO’s European members.
此外,缘于美国无端毁约而最终被美俄双方废止的《开放天空条约》是美国单边主义盛行的一个侧影。长期以来，美国固守冷战思维，奉行“美国优先”，接连“毁约退群”，对国际军控与裁军进程产生了严重的消极影响。
The termination of the treaty that started with America’s uncalled-for breach and backing out mirrors America’s mounting unilateral tendency. For a long time, the US has been stubbornly clinging to the Cold War mentality, upholding the “America first” policy, and retreating from one international organization after another. Its recklessness and arbitrariness have taken a serious toll on the international arms control and disarmament process.
Editor's note: This article is originally published on zqb.cyol.com, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
