U.S. Missile Defense Plan Won’t Ease Tensions With Russia: Zakharova
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January 31, 2025 Hour: 12:05 pm
The ‘Iron Dome’ initiative essentially reaffirms the U.S. intension to pursue the militarization of space.
On Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Washington’s latest decisions on the development of a new missile defense system won’t help reduce tensions with Moscow.
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Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the development of a new missile defense system for the country. The Iron Dome missile defense shield would protect against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles and other aerial attacks.
Zakharova said that this initiative essentially reaffirms the U.S. intension to pursue the militarization of space, noting that the decision involves a significant expansion of the American nuclear arsenal.
“It 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,” she said.
“Zakharova claimed the plan would expand Washington’s missile deterrence to a scale ‘comparable to Reagan’s Star Wars,’ which she called ‘odious. She said the move was primarily aimed at “devaluing Russian and Chinese strategic deterrence capabilities,” the Moscow Times reported.
“We consider this as yet another confirmation of the U.S. focus on turning space into an arena for armed confrontation,” Zakharova further said.
The Russian diplomat warned that the initiative would also hinder potential dialogue on strategic offensive arms, noting that this measure is the first sign of Washington’s destabilizing plans for the development of its military-technical programs.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE – The Moscow Times