MOSCOW, November 16. /TASS/. Instead of groundlessly accusing Russia of testing armaments in outer space, the United States should sit down at the negotiating table and discuss its concerns in this field, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference on Tuesday.

"We would prefer that the United States should sit down at the negotiating table at last, instead of making groundless accusations, and discuss its concerns with regard to the treaty, which Russia and China are proposing to prevent this arms race and which the US cannot accept. It would be very interesting for us to hear a specific and reasoned position and not pretexts. We are ready for that," Russia’s top diplomat said.

As the Russian foreign minister pointed out, Washington’s claims that Moscow is creating risks for peaceful space exploration are hypocritical. "No facts exist," Lavrov stressed.

The United States urges Russia to work out some universal regulations for space exploration but ignores the initiative put forward by Russia and China on drafting a treaty on preventing an arms race in outer space, Russia’s top diplomat pointed out.

"They [the United States] simply ignore that, insisting that some rules, universal regulations of conduct be drafted," he said.

In the meantime, the US is most actively unleashing an arms race in outer space, Lavrov said.

"In 2020, they set up the Space Command and adopted a space strategy that stipulates creating an all-out military advantage in outer space as one of its basic goals," Russia’s top diplomat added.

"In order to implement this strategy, and such facts were registered even before it was approved, the Pentagon is testing without notifying anyone whomsoever combat strike vehicles in orbit, including delivering missile defense capabilities into orbit. The president of Russia repeatedly commented on this threat, stressing that this would create a completely different security situation when strike armaments would be constantly deployed over a particular country," Lavrov pointed out.

As the US Space Command reported earlier, Russia tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite missile on November 15 that struck a Russian satellite (COSMOS 1408) and "created a debris field in low-Earth orbit." As it also claimed, "Russia continues to pursue counterspace weapon systems that undermine strategic stability and pose a threat to all nations."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that "the United States will work with our allies and partners as we seek to respond" to this act ascribed to Russia.