UNITED NATIONS, March 18. /TASS/. Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky has slammed the US-and Japan-drafted UN Security Council resolution on the non-placement of nuclear weapons in outer space as politicized and being out of touch with reality.
"As for the Security Council draft resolution on the non-deployment of nuclear weapons in outer space that was mentioned by the United States and Japan, we would like to note, as the first edition, that the text that was released at the end of last week has a politicized and divorced from reality air to it. And there is nothing surprising about this because its wording had not been discussed by experts within international sectoral formats, including the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the Conference on Disarmament, before being referred to the UN Security Council. It gives one a strong feeling that this is nothing but yet another propaganda move by Washington," he said at UN Security Council debates on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.
"Regrettably, the majority of our Western colleagues’ initiatives, although dressed up very nicely, are actually an empty shell and are nothing but a publicity stunt," he stressed.
Earlier in the day, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield confirmed that Washington and Tokyo have drafted a UN Security Council resolution that reaffirms the ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons in outer space. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said at the UN Security Council meeting that her country insists that outer space should remain free of nuclear weapons.