“Malicious” US insinuation
Putin says he doesn’t want to send nuclear weapons into space
February 20, 2024, 8:49 p.m
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Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has threatened to use nuclear weapons several times. The USA recently even claimed that Moscow was planning to station them in space. President Putin disagrees and calls the accusation “unfounded.”
According to President Vladimir Putin, Russia is “categorically against” stationing nuclear weapons in space. “We have always been categorically against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space and will continue to be so,” Putin said in a televised meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The US had previously accused Russia of developing such an anti-satellite weapon.
“We not only call for compliance with all existing agreements in this area, but have also repeatedly suggested strengthening this joint work,” Putin continued. He was referring to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, to which the USA and Russia are members, and which prohibits the stationing of nuclear weapons in space.
The White House said last week that Russia was developing an anti-satellite nuclear weapon. This is “worrying” but “does not pose an immediate threat to anyone’s safety.” Moscow described the information as “malicious” and “unfounded.” Using such accusations, the US government wanted to put pressure on the opposition Republicans in Congress to agree to a blocked new billion-dollar aid package for Ukraine, it was said.
The comments were Putin’s first on the subject. Defense Minister Shoigu said, according to the television images, that Russia “does not have” these types of weapons and the United States “knows that we do not have them.” Putin said, “As far as space is concerned, we only do in space what other countries do there, including the United States.”