Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said 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”. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Russia on May 21 said the United States was seeking to place weapons in space, the latest accusation in an ongoing row that comes a day after Washington vetoed a Russian non-proliferation motion at the United Nations.

“They have once again demonstrated that their true priorities in the area of outer space are aimed not at keeping space free from weapons of any kind, but at placing weapons in space and turning it into an arena for military confrontation,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

The two superpowers have traded multiple accusations of seeking to weaponise space in recent months.

In February, Washington said it was concerned by an “anti-satellite capability that Russia has developed” after U.S. media outlets reported that intelligence agencies had warned their allies that Russia could launch a nuclear weapon into orbit.

Moscow denied those accusations as “malicious” and “unfounded,” saying it does not possess such systems.

Russia has since levelled similar charges at the United States.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not provide further details on Tuesday when asked if Moscow had specific information regarding U.S. plans to deploy weapons in space, saying only that the country’s intelligence agencies were monitoring the situation.

“Our special services are performing their work,” he told reporters in a briefing.

The countries have proposed rival non-proliferation motions at the United Nations as part of the spat.

Russia vetoed the U.S. initiative last month, while Moscow’s proposal was blocked by the United States, Britain and France in a vote on Monday.

Moscow said the U.S. initiative focused only on nuclear weapons and that Washington was not seriously interested in a complete ban on weapons in space.

The veto by the United States and its allies “spoke eloquently” about their priorities, Mr. Peskov said Tuesday.

U.S. envoy Robert Wood said Russia’s proposal, which called on all countries to “take urgent measures to prevent for all time the placement of weapons in outer space,” was a distraction and accused Moscow of “diplomatic gaslighting.”

Ms. Zakharova said Tuesday 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.”

Space is a rare area where the two countries still have a degree of cooperation despite a swathe of Western sanctions and dire relations amid Russia’s offensive on Ukraine.

Both countries ferry each other’s crew members to and from the International Space Station (ISS), where their astronauts are jointly stationed.

Washington, United States:

The United States blacklisted five Turkish companies as part of sweeping new sanctions aiming to hamstring the Russian economy over its war on Ukraine.

Three Turkish firms were placed under sanctions for supplying Russian defense-related manufacturers, including UAV producers, with parts and technology equipment.

Another two Turkish firms, and the owner of one of them, were hit for providing ship repair services to vessels controlled by or involved with the Russian defense sector.

They were among more than 150 individuals, companies and institutions added to the US Treasury and State Department blacklists for their alleged roles in supporting Russia’s nearly 19 month old war against Ukraine.

Most of those named were Russian manufacturers, trading companies and institutes supporting the production of arms and other supplies for the Russian armed forces, and individuals who own or manage those entities.

In addition two individuals involved with Russia’s Wagner private military group were placed on the sanctions blacklist, one for facilitating arms trade with North Korea, and the other over Wagner’s role in the Central African Republic.

“The US government is targeting individuals and entities engaged in sanctions evasion and circumvention, those complicit in furthering Russia’s ability to wage its war against Ukraine, and those responsible for bolstering Russia’s future energy production,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Moscow:

Moscow stated Monday that it had detained a Russian citizen and previous US consulate worker in Vladivostok for allegedly passing details about the Ukraine struggle to American diplomats.

The Federal Safety Provider (FSB) stated in a commentary it had “suppressed the illegal activities of Robert Robertovich Shonov”, accusing him of being an informant for the USA embassy in Moscow.

The announcement is the fresh in a layout of diplomatic spats construction power on strained ties between Moscow and Washington, in particular over the struggle in Ukraine.

The FSB stated Shonov had begun handing knowledge to US diplomats in September closing day concerning the struggle and mobilisation, an unpopular progress in Russia that noticed an exodus of military-aged males.

It added that Shonov have been tasked with gauging protest sentiment in Russia’s areas forward of presidential elections scheduled for nearest day.

The FSB stated that Shonov had reported to 2 diplomats within the political branch in the USA embassy in Moscow, Jeffrey Silin and David Bernstein, and that it deliberate to query the boys.

Diplomatic tensions between Russia and Western nations, in particular the USA, were deteriorating for years and all sides have ordered the alternative to snip body of workers numbers at diplomatic amenities, hampering their purposes.

(Except for for the headline, this tale has no longer been edited via NDTV body of workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)