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Russia on Friday slammed US President Donald Trump’s executive order to build a new missile defence shield, accusing Washington of disrupting the global nuclear balance and fuelling military tensions in space.
On Monday, Trump signed an order to start the process of developing of an “American Iron Dome,” a next-generation missile defence system designed to counter ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missile and other aerial threats.
According to the White House, the intention was to upgrade an outdated system and respond to an evolving “catastrophic threat,” as US adversaries continue to advance their missile capabilities.
However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticised the plan, asserting that it seeks to weaken the nuclear deterrence capabilities of both Russia and China.
In Moscow’s strongest rebuke yet of Trump’s new policy, she warned that the US move would undermine prospects for nuclear arms control discussions—an issue both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have previously expressed support for.
”It (the plan) directly envisages a significant strengthening of the American nuclear arsenal and means for conducting combat operations in space, including the development and deployment of space-based interception systems,” Zakharova told reporters at a news briefing in Moscow.
”We consider this as another confirmation of the U.S. focus on turning space into an arena of armed confrontation… and the deployment of weapons there.
”The indicated U.S. approaches will not contribute to reducing tensions or improving the situation in the strategic sphere, including creating a basis for a fruitful dialogue on strategic offensive arms,” she said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe White House’s Iron Dome statement did not refer to strengthening the U.S. nuclear arsenal, but said:
”The Iron Dome will further the goals of peace through strength. By empowering the United States with a second-strike capability, the Iron Dome will deter adversaries from attacks on the homeland.”
Trump and Putin have both said they would like to meet face-to-face to discuss a range of issues, including the Ukraine war, but Moscow says it has yet to receive any signals from the U.S. on when and where such an encounter could take place.
With inputs from agencies