Islam Times - Moscow Says US Tries to Discredit Russia's Arms Race Prevention Initiatives

Islam Times - The United States' accusations against Moscow concerning space activities are aimed at discrediting Russia's initiatives for preventing an arms race in space, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a commentary on Friday.

"We have taken note of another portion of groundless accusations by US officials, including Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett and US Space Force commander John Raymond, against Russia concerning the development and testing of ground-and space-based anti-satellite weapons," Zakharova stated, TASS reported.

"We regard these charges as part of Washington's campaign for discrediting Russia's space activity and our initiatives for preventing an arms race in space. US counterparts are again trying to present a distorted picture of the situation with the aim of distracting the world public's attention from real threats in space and excusing their own steps for deploying weapons in space and securing extra funding for these programs," she added.

Zakharova stressed that Russia's space activities pursued no confrontational aims, created no hindrances or obstructions to the functioning of satellites of other countries and invariably remained in strict compliance with international law, including the Outer Space Treaty of 1967.

"We attach priority to the non-discriminatory use and exploration of space exclusively for peaceful purposes. Russia's initiatives being advanced in this field, which enjoy wide support from like-minded countries, serve as a confirmation of this," she noted.