Russia will completely withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies on December 18, 2021, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"Russia has notified all the member states about its decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty six months after sending a notice. Therefore, this will occur on December 18, 2021," the statement says.

"This step also implies the simultaneous exit from the group of the member states that was formed under this Treaty and includes our country and Belarus. All the member states and separately Belarusian partners have been informed about the exit from this group," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.