Russia vetoes UN resolution to ban nuclear weapons from space

Russia’s United Nations Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia voted against the draft resolution at a UN Security Council meeting Wednesday. The resolution would have reaffirmed the 1967 Outer Space Treaty banning nuclear weapons in outer space. China abstained from the vote, making Russia the only country to veto the measure jointly proposed by the United States and Japan. Nebenzia described the measure as a cynical ploy.

Why does this matter? The United States assesses that Russia is developing a new satellite carrying a nuclear device, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said after Wednesday’s veto. If Russia truly had no intention of deploying nuclear weapons, they would not have vetoed this resolution, Sullivan added. The vote comes months after the White House accused Russia of developing anti-satellite technology in space. The weapon was not actively deployed and was not an immediate risk to human beings, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in February. Russia has denied the accusation. The country has always been against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space, leader Vladimir Putin said earlier this year.

How did leaders respond to the lone veto? The United States and Japan issued a joint statement delivered by U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood. Russia abandoned its responsibility of keeping international security by rejecting the resolution, which was co-sponsored by a total of 65 countries, Wood said. The purpose of the resolution was simply to prevent an outer space arms race and continue using outer space for peaceful purposes, according to the joint Japan-U.S. statement. The draft would have called on countries not to even develop nuclear weapons for use in outer space, according to the statement. All 115 countries that signed the original 1967 treaty, including Russia, are still obliged under it, added U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.