Russia accuses US of planning to place weapons in space

In February, Washington expressed concern about Russia's development of "anti-satellite capability" following reports from US media that intelligence agencies had warned allies of Russia's potential to launch a nuclear weapon into orbit. Moscow dismissed these accusations as "malicious" and "unfounded," asserting that it does not possess such systems. Since then, Russia has made similar accusations against the United States. The two countries submitted competing non-proliferation proposals at the United Nations as part of their ongoing dispute. Last month, Russia vetoed the US initiative, while the United States, Britain, and France blocked Moscow's proposal in a vote on Monday. Also read | Russia, China have their differences but Putin and Xi are not talking about them Russia claimed the US initiative focused solely on nuclear weapons and argued that Washington was not genuinely interested in a comprehensive ban on space weapons. US envoy Robert Wood criticised Russia's proposal, which called on all countries to "take urgent measures to prevent for all time the placement of weapons in outer space," labeling it as a distraction and accusing Moscow of "diplomatic gaslighting." On Tuesday, Zakharova stated 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." Despite a slew of Western sanctions and strained relations amid Russia's offensive in Ukraine, space remains a rare area of cooperation between the two nations. Both countries continue to transport each other's crew members to and from the International Space Station (ISS), where their astronauts work together.