Russian President Vladimir Putin has rebuffed allegations made by the United States concerning Russia’s alleged deployment of nuclear weapons in outer space.
Putin, accompanied by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, unequivocally rejected the U.S. claim that Moscow was actively pursuing a space-based nuclear capability.
“Our position is clear and transparent: We have always been categorically against and are now against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space,” Putin conveyed to Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister.
According to reports, the U.S. government suspects Russia of developing a space-based anti-satellite nuclear weapon. The potential deployment of such a weapon has raised concerns about its disruptive impact on various systems, from military communications to civilian services like phone-based ride-sharing.
President Putin reiterated Russia’s longstanding opposition to placing nuclear weapons in space, emphasising transparency and adherence to existing agreements. He called for collaboration to strengthen joint efforts in space exploration while asserting that Russia’s space activities align with global norms.
“We urge not only compliance with all agreements that exist in this area, but also offered to strengthen this joint work many times,” Putin stated.
The U.S. government’s stance gained public attention when a White House spokesperson declared that the alleged Russian system would violate the Outer Space Treaty, signed in 1967. The treaty prohibits signatory nations, including Russia and the U.S., from deploying in orbit around the earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction.”
Russian Defence Minister Shoigu refuted the U.S. assertions, affirming that there were no ongoing projects involving nuclear weapons in space. He accused the White House of leveraging these accusations to secure increased funding for Ukraine, suggesting it was part of a broader strategy to strategically undermine Russia.
Shoigu highlighted that the leaked information aimed to initiate a dialogue on strategic stability between Russia and the United States, emphasising the deteriorating arms control framework since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
While President Putin did not outright dismiss talks on strategic stability with the U.S. at defence and foreign ministry levels, he expressed scepticism.
He asserted that discussions should not be divorced from what he perceived as the West’s overarching objective to undermine Russia, underscoring the importance of discerning the true intentions behind such dialogues.