Russia does not plan to put weapons in space first and considers this to be an important signal that Washington should not ignore, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Interfax on Monday.
The United States last week voiced suspicion over Russia's pursuit of new space weapons, including a mobile laser system to destroy satellites in space, and the launch of a new inspector satellite which was acting in an "abnormal" way.
“Although not many share this approach — we will not be the first to deploy weapons in space. That is an important signal. I think that it’s not something that can be ignored, including by Washington,” Ryabkov was cited as saying.
The deputy foreign minister went on to criticize the U.S. for pursuing “discussions” on new weapons systems designed for space.
Reuters contributed reporting.
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