Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Russia vetoes UN resolution on nuclear weapons in space

Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia raises his hand to veto the Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons resolution bill during a meeting of UN Security Council members, Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at United Nations headquarters. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AP Photo) Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia raises his hand to veto the Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons resolution bill during a meeting of UN Security Council members, Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at United Nations headquarters. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AP Photo)
Share
UNITED NATIONS -

Russia on Wednesday vetoed a U.S.-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution that called on countries to prevent an arms race in outer space, a move that prompted the United States to question if Moscow was hiding something.

The vote came after Washington accused Moscow of developing a anti-satellite nuclear weapon to put in space, an allegation that Russia has denied. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow was against putting nuclear weapons in space.

"Today's veto begs the question: Why? Why if you are following the rules would you not support a resolution that reaffirms them? What could you possibly be hiding?" U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council after the vote. "It's baffling and it's a shame."

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused Washington of trying to tarnish Moscow and said Russia would shortly begin negotiations with council members on its own draft resolution aimed at keeping space peaceful.

"We want a ban on the placement of weapons of any kind in outer space, not just (weapons of mass destruction). But you don't want that ... Let me ask you that very same question: Why?" Nebenzia asked Thomas-Greenfield in the council.

The draft resolution was put to a vote by the U.S. and Japan after nearly six weeks of negotiations. It received 13 votes in favor, while China abstained and Russia cast a veto.

The U.N. text would have affirmed an obligation to comply with the Outer Space Treaty and called on states "to contribute actively to the objective of the peaceful use of outer space and of the prevention of an arms race in outer space."

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bars signatories – including Russia and the United States – from placing "in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction.

Talks

Before the council voted on the U.S. draft text, Russia and China had proposed it be amended to include a call on all states "to prevent for all time the placement of weapons in outer space and the threat or use of force in outer space, from space against Earth and from Earth against objects in outer space."

The council voted on the proposed amendment, but it failed to pass. It received seven votes in favor, seven against and one abstention.

U.S. intelligence officials, according to three people familiar with their findings, believe the Russian capability to be a space-based nuclear bomb whose electromagnetic radiation if detonated would disable vast networks of satellites.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said Russia has not yet deployed such a weapon.

Governments have increasingly viewed satellites in Earth's orbit as crucial assets that enable an array of military capabilities on Earth, with space-based communications and satellite-connected drones in the war in Ukraine serving as recent examples of space's outsized role in modern warfare.

Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said earlier this month that Moscow and Washington were in contact over the non-deployment of nuclear weapons in space, the TASS news agency quoted him as saying.

"We are in contact in that they rejected further discussions of the topic," said a senior U.S. administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "I don't know if he's referencing something else, but that has been the level of contact that we've had on this topic."

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, additional reporting by Joey Roulette and Steve Holland in Washington Editing by Alistair Bell)

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

DEVELOPING

DEVELOPING Debate gets testy as MPs consider confidence motion in PM Trudeau

MPs debated the first non-confidence motion of the fall House of Commons sitting today, seeing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre push once again for a snap election. But with votes secured to keep them afloat, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals were quick to turn the discussion into a referendum on the Conservative alternative.

We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.

An 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in a caught-on-video incident in Mississauga earlier this month is now facing auto theft charges in Toronto.

Premier Danielle Smith says she plans to reinforce the right to decide whether to receive a vaccination or other medical procedure in changes to the Alberta Bill of Rights.

Local Spotlight

An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.

Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.

Before influencers on social media, Canada’s Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.