MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Moscow will be exposing and showing the world Washington's disinformation regarding the alleged placement of Russian nuclear weapons in space, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has told the media.
The diplomat was asked to comment on the reports that the US was planning to significantly upgrade its space forces by various means, including launches of combat satellites.
"One of the underlying factors for this destructive, purely destabilizing activity, which the US has been engaged in for years, are the media rumors regarding so-called Russian nuclear weapons in space. We will be exposing them and showing the world majority countries and all unbiased observers who do not take for granted the endless disinformation flows coming from Washington what this kind of policy leads to. For our part, we will continue our efforts to prevent the deployment of strike weapons in outer space," Ryabkov pointed out.
In February 2024 the US authorities, including President Joe Biden, accused Russia, without providing evidence that Moscow was allegedly considering the placement of nuclear weapons in space. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media such publications were another in a series of the White House’s ploys. Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed at a meeting with then Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu that Moscow "has always been categorically against and is now against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space." Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov pointed out in late February that the appearance of nuclear weapons in outer space would be inexpedient from all points of view.The existing delivery systems are quite sufficient, he explained: "No arbitrary decisions are involved here. Everything depends on military and military-technical expediency."