Russia and China have criticised the United States after Washington confirmed that it has deployed weapons capable of conducting space-control operations in orbit, raising fresh concerns over the militarisation of outer space.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Moscow believed space should remain free of weapons and called for greater international cooperation towards its demilitarisation.
“We believe that space must be free of any weapon,” Peskov told reporters.
He added that Russia was counting on wider international support for efforts aimed at achieving the “complete demilitarisation of space.”
China, which maintains close ties with Moscow, also criticised the US move and called on Washington to stop preparing for conflict beyond Earth.
The criticism came a day after the US confirmed for the first time that it had deployed what it described as “on-orbit space control weapons.”
US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the capabilities were designed to protect American forces against hostile actions.
A US Space Force spokesperson said the weapons were capable of defending the US Joint Force against hostile adversary activity, while explaining that space control involves efforts to contest and control the space domain.
According to the statement, the capabilities could use both kinetic and non-kinetic methods to affect an adversary’s space capabilities and could serve offensive as well as defensive purposes.
The US did not provide details about the specific weapons involved.
The development comes against the backdrop of growing competition between major powers over military and strategic capabilities in space.
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The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which has been signed by the United States, Russia and China, prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit.
However, the treaty does not impose a blanket prohibition on military activities in space.
The latest exchange between Washington, Moscow and Beijing therefore highlights a broader dispute over how far military powers should be allowed to develop and deploy non-nuclear capabilities beyond Earth.