Russia says US wants to put weapons in space

Moscow:

Russia said on Tuesday that the United States was trying to put weapons in space, the latest accusation in an ongoing dispute that comes a day after Washington vetoed a Russian nonproliferation motion at the United Nations.

“They have demonstrated once again that their true priorities in the area of ​​outer space are not to keep space free of weapons of any kind, but rather to place weapons in space and transform it into an arena for military confrontation,” the spokeswoman said. of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

The two superpowers have exchanged multiple accusations of trying to weaponize space in recent months.

In February, Washington said it was concerned about an “anti-satellite capability that Russia has developed” after US media outlets reported that intelligence agencies had warned their allies that Russia could launch a nuclear weapon into orbit.

Moscow has denied these accusations as “malicious” and “baseless”, saying it does not have such systems.

Russia has since made similar accusations against the United States.

The countries have proposed rival non-proliferation motions at the United Nations as part of the fight.

Russia vetoed the US initiative last month, while Moscow’s proposal was blocked by the United States, Britain and France in a vote on Monday.

Moscow said the US initiative focuses only on nuclear weapons and that Washington is not seriously interested in a total ban on weapons in space.

US envoy Robert Wood said Russia’s proposal, which called on all countries to “take urgent action to permanently prevent the placement of weapons in outer space”, was a distraction and accused Moscow of “diplomatic gaslighting”.

Zakharova said on Tuesday that Russia “will continue to make an unwavering contribution to keeping outer space free of weapons of any kind and preventing it from becoming another sphere of tension and armed confrontation.”

Space is a rare area where the two countries still maintain a degree of cooperation despite a series of Western sanctions and dire relations amid Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.

Both countries transport each other’s crew members to and from the International Space Station (ISS), where their astronauts are jointly stationed.

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