The accusation fits a pattern. During a July 2020 conference on the Open Skies Treaty, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS that Russia does not view the United States "as a partner who is able to negotiate."

The charge that Washington cannot be relied upon to honor its commitments has become a recurring theme in Russian diplomacy and increasingly resonates beyond Moscow. Over the past two decades, the United States has withdrawn from a remarkable number of international agreements, raising questions about American credibility, the future of multilateral cooperation, and whether the United States can be treated as a reliable partner on the international stage.

The pattern began in earnest in 2001 when President George W. Bush withdrew the United States from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, a 1972 arms control accord with the Soviet Union that had been in force for three decades. The withdrawal, citing purported risks of nuclear blackmail from rogue states, led Russia to declare it would no longer abide by the START II treaty. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a buildup of Russia's nuclear capabilities designed to counterbalance American missile defense systems.

In May 2018, the administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Barack Obama administration alongside the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China. European allies stayed in the agreement and ignored Washington's requests to reimpose sanctions on Tehran. Iran responded by resuming uranium enrichment.

In August 2019, the United States formally exited the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a Reagan-era arms control pact with Russia. In May 2020, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the United States would withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty, a thirty-four nation confidence-building measure that permitted unarmed reconnaissance flights over member states' territories. The withdrawal became effective November 2020 despite opposition from NATO allies and members of Congress who argued the administration had violated legal requirements for notification.

The consequences of serial withdrawal extend far beyond specific agreements. Each exit signals to allies and adversaries whether the United States honors commitments.