US warns of Russia's new space weapon
The United States has expressed skepticism about Russia's pursuit of new space weapons, including a mobile laser system capable of destroying satellites in space and the launch of a new spy satellite.
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| Illustration: BGR |
ReutersOn August 14, at the United Nations disarmament conference, Ms. Yleem DS Poblete, US Assistant Secretary of State in charge of the Arms Control and Compliance Division, warned that Russia's pursuit of confrontational capabilities in space is "worrying".
In February, at a forum in Geneva, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the top priority was to prevent an arms race in outer space in line with a draft treaty Russia and China proposed a decade ago. However, in March, Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly unveiled six new offensive weapons systems, including a mobile laser system, Ms. Poblete said.
"For the United States, it is further evidence that Russia's actions and words are inconsistent... We are also concerned about the so-called unusual activity of (Russia's) space reconnaissance satellites," Ms. Poblete said.
At the conference, Russian representative Alexander Deyneko dismissed Ms. Poblete's comments as "baseless." "We see that the US side is raising excessive concerns about Russia. They should actively cooperate to complete the treaty so that it can satisfy 100% of the security interests of the Americans," Mr. Deyneko.
China's representative, Ambassador Fu Cong, also commented: "We have always opposed the weaponization of outer space, the arms race in outer space, or even turning outer space into a battlefield."
