Kremlin tries to shoot down claims it is putting nuclear weapons in space: Putin’s top spokesman accuses Biden of pulling a ‘trick’ to get more money for Ukraine
The Kremlin has rejected claims that it wants to place nuclear weapons in space, claiming it is a US “trick” to get more money for weapons for Ukraine.
Moscow claimed that the ominous warning that Vladimir Putin wants to disable satellites is a “malicious fabrication” but declined to go into details about any plan.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he would not comment on the contents of the reports until the details were revealed by the White House.
But he said Washington’s warning was clearly an attempt to get Congress to approve more money to send to Volodymyr Zelensky to fight Russian forces.
“It’s clear that the White House, by design or con, is trying to encourage Congress to vote on a bill to appropriate money, this is clear,” he told reporters.
“We’ll see what tricks the White House will use.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow, Russia, December 7, 2023
On Wednesday evening, it emerged that Washington believed Russia was making plans to deploy a space-based nuclear weapon.
The potential purpose was to use it to disable Western satellites.
Dan Hoffman, former CIA station chief, said: “Maybe surprising at first glance. Russia does many things very badly. But one of the things they are good at is nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and space technology.
“Once upon a time there was a collaboration with them from NASA and then from the Russian partners. I have no doubt that this is true, and that it would threaten both civilian communications and military command and control.
‘If Russia were to place a nuclear weapon in space. It’s clearly a violation of the Outer Space Treaty that Russia is a signatory to, but I don’t think Vladimir Putin would be concerned about that.”
A Russian Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile launch on April 20, 2022
The new Russian Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is fired during a test launch from a secret location in Russia. Putin announced this on Thursday, October 5, 2023
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov, who has been involved in Russia’s nuclear policy, said the United States must provide evidence of its claims.
“It fits in with the trend of the past decade in which Americans engage in malicious fantasy, attributing to us all kinds of actions or intentions that do not suit them,” Rjabkov said.
“We continually tell them that unsubstantiated allegations of various kinds are not something we will respond to.
“If they make any kind of claim, they should back it up with evidence,” he added.
Washington and Moscow have clashed repeatedly verbally over nuclear policy since Russia launched its massive military campaign against Ukraine.
The West has accused Russia of reckless nuclear rhetoric after Putin said he was prepared to use a nuclear weapon if he sensed an existential threat.
Joe Biden speaks at the White House when it emerged that Russia has a plan to place nuclear weapons in space
U.S. Representative Mike Turner called for information about the Russian plan to be made public
The Outer Space Treaty, to which both Russia and the United States are parties, prohibits the use of nuclear weapons in space.
Moscow has already shown how it can be deadly from space by testing a hit-to-kill anti-satellite missile in 2021.
Russia smashed a defunct spy satellite launched in 1982 into 1,500 pieces of rubble in the attack, sparking outrage around the world.
In 2020, Moscow fired an anti-satellite weapon from its Cosmos 2543 satellite while in orbit.
Putin has also threatened the West with his deadliest hypersonic missile, but it could shoot into space and hit multiple targets on the ground.
The nuclear-capable Avangard missile, which can reportedly hit targets at 27 times the speed of sound, is seen in new footage installed in an underground launch silo in Russia’s Orenburg region.
According to Moscow, the rocket, traveling at 20,000 miles per hour and using a hypersonic glide vehicle, will be able to leave the Earth’s atmosphere in less than 30 minutes before hitting any target in the world.
Members of Congress or US allies should not openly discuss or collaborate on the threat until the report is released.
They can review the information related to “destabilizing foreign military capabilities” at a secure location in the Capitol until Thursday.