Russia and China have urged the United States to keep weapons out of space after Washington confirmed that it had deployed “on-orbit space control weapons” for the first time.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the call on Tuesday, saying space should remain free of weapons.
“We believe that space must be free of any weapon,” Peskov told reporters.
“We are counting on broad international consolidation to continue working towards the complete demilitarisation of space,” he added.
China, a close ally of Russia, also criticised the US move and urged Washington to “stop preparing for war in outer space.”
The United States confirmed on Monday that it had deployed the weapons in orbit.
US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the systems were capable of defending American forces against hostile action.
A US Space Force spokesperson said the weapons could be used for both offensive and defensive purposes, but did not provide details about the systems.
“The US has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action,” the spokesperson said.
The Space Force said space control involved missions aimed at contesting and controlling the space domain through both kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect an adversary’s capabilities.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, to which the US, Russia and China are parties, prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.
However, the treaty does not impose a blanket ban on military activities in space.
