Sept 15 - Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the U.S. acknowledgement that Washington had deployed orbital weapons overlooked the possible consequences of a confrontation in space and posed a threat to the long-term stability of activities above Earth.
"In pursuit of its narrow self-interests, Washington is ready to completely ignore the catastrophic consequences for humanity of any armed conflict in orbit," ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote in a commentary posted on the ministry website.
Zakharova warned that the reported presence of U.S. weapons in orbit jeopardises the future of space exploration. "Colossal risks are created for numerous socio-economic processes on Earth and people’s well-being directly depends on them," she said, stressing the link between orbital stability and terrestrial systems.
The remarks followed comments by U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink at a conference near Washington, D.C., on Monday, when he said the United States possessed "on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action." The Russian ministry characterised Meink's statement as the strongest public admission to date by a U.S. official that the United States fields weapons in space, amid rising tensions with Russia and China.
Zakharova framed the U.S. acknowledgement as part of a broader attempt to "distract world attention from the U.S.’ own aggressive strivings in terms of space," and she cited what she called "absurd" accusations that Moscow itself was developing anti-satellite weapons.
On the issue of testing moratoria, Zakharova argued there was double standards. "The moratorium on testing ... anti-satellite missiles promoted by the so-called ’collective West’ is laden with hypocrisy, as in reality it does not affect the use of weapons that the U.S. already has and does not apply to other types of anti-satellite systems that Washington is seeking to develop," she said.
Looking ahead to international diplomacy, Zakharova said resolutions co-authored by Russia that would bar the deployment of space-based weapons and increase transparency in the use of space would be presented to the U.N. General Assembly next month.
The statements from Moscow and the U.S. official reflect competing positions on both capabilities and norms for conduct in orbit, with Moscow signalling it will pursue formal U.N. measures in response to Washington's admissions and policy stance.