US has ignored Russia, China call to discuss space arms treaty: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the United States has ignored Russian and Chinese proposals to discuss a possible deal on weapons in space.

Lavrov told a press briefing on Tuesday that Moscow and Beijing had called for years for an agreement to stop weapons being deployed in space, but that Washington and its allies had blocked the deal.

"The United States calls, as they put it, to develop universal rules for space exploration. But for some reason, they have ignored for many years the initiative of Russia and China to prepare a treaty to prevent an arms race in space. They simply ignore it, insisting instead on developing some sort of universal rules. However, the United States themselves very actively develops the arms race," the top Russian diplomat said.

Both Russia and China have voiced concerns about the growing militarization of space by the US and its allies, warning that such hostile measures should be counterbalanced. The US Defense Intelligence Agency has described the two countries as "real threats" to "US capabilities" in the outer space.

Observers maintain the US exaggerates the space military capabilities of Russia and China as a pretext to accelerate its own plans to prepare for space warfare.

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Elsewhere in his remarks, Lavrov also dismissed US accusations that a Russian anti-satellite missile test had caused a debris field in space.

"To declare that the Russian Federation creates risks for the peaceful use of space is, at the very least, hypocrisy," the Russian foreign minister said , adding that "there are no facts" behind the claims.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Monday that Russia had "recklessly conducted a destructive satellite test of a direct ascent anti-satellite missile against one of its own satellites."

Russian space agency Roscosmos in a post on Twitter downplayed the incident. "The orbit of the object, which forced the crew today to move into spacecraft according to standard procedures, has moved away from the ISS orbit. The station is in the green zone."

Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement the debris from the test did not pose a threat in the space. "The Russian Ministry of Defense successfully conducted a test on Nov. 15 that hit the non-operational Russian spacecraft Tselina-D, which had been in orbit since 1982."

The ministry also said the United States, China, and India had conducted similar tests in the past.

China warns US against 'weaponizing' space

China says it has consistently proposed the peaceful usage of space.

Russia has said it is being forced to beef up its defense capabilities because of weapons tests by the US and Washington establishing a space force in 2020.

Former US President Donald Trump had taken a keen interest in space, announcing the establishment of a new Space Force branch of the military, despite opposition from the Pentagon.

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