Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that Moscow has no intention of placing nuclear weapons in space. He claimed that Russia, like America, has developed space capabilities.
Putin’s comments came after the White House confirmed last week that Russia had acquired a “worrying” anti-satellite weapons capability. However, no such weapon is operational yet.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said this would be a violation of the International Outer Space Treaty. However, he declined to comment on whether the weapon was nuclear-capable.
The treaty, signed by more than 130 countries, including Russia, prohibits the deployment of ‘nuclear weapons or any other type of weapons of mass destruction’ in space or ‘any other means of placing weapons in outer space’. The White House said it would communicate directly with the Russians about concerns.