Russian minister warns against militarisation of space

MOSCOW: Russia’s defense minister said on Wednesday that Moscow strongly opposes US plans to deploy weapons in space, news reports said.

Sergei Ivanov said Russia is “categorically against the deployment of any weapons in space,” according to remarks carried by the Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies.

Ivanov was commenting on recent statements by US Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry A. Obering, director of the US Missile Defense Agency, who was quoted as saying at a conference in Washington that emerging threats called for the development of a space-based defense system, ITAR-Tass said.

In recent years, Russia has pushed for a new United Nations treaty to ban weapons in space and at space facilities.

Moscow has opposed US plans to deploy a nationwide missile defense but said it was eager to cooperate with NATO partners in developing defenses against short-range missiles. ap

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