US plans to lift curbs on drone sales would hurt arms pact, Moscow warns

Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned on Monday that US plans to lift restrictions on heavy strike drones would land a severe blow to a 1987 arms control deal regulating the export of rocket technology, RIA Novosti said.

The Trump administration plans to reinterpret the deal between 34 nations in order to allow US defense contractors to sell more American-made drones to various nations, Reuters quoted three defense industry executives and a US official as saying earlier.

The policy change could open up sales of armed US drones to less stable governments that have been forbidden from buying them under the 33-year-old Missile Technology Control Regime.