On August 20, 2010 Defence Attaché of Ukraine, Colonel Serhiy Hyshtymult received from the representatives of Defence Canada videos made by the Canadian side during observation flights over Ukraine executed in the framework of the Treaty on Open Skies.

On behalf of Ukraine, Colonel S. Hyshtymult thanked the Canadian side for fruitful cooperation between our countries in the Treaty and stressed the importance of this international instrument in ensuring international security and confidence among States through improved mechanisms for monitoring military activities and the implementation of existing treaties in the field arms control.

Treaty on Open Skies defines the mechanism of an open skies regime, which enables participants to make observation flights over territories of each participant state. Each State Party is obligated to receive observation flights per its passive quota allocation. Each State Party may conduct as many observation flights - its active quota - as its passive quota. All information obtained during the observation flights, placed in a special data bank that is available to all States Parties to the Treaty.

Treaty on Open Skies was signed on March 24, 1992 in Helsinki (Finland) by 25 countries, including Ukraine. Ukraine ratified the Treaty on March 2, 2000.