Russia has launched a space weapon and deployed it in the orbit of a US satellite, the Pentagon said.
"Russia has launched a satellite into low Earth orbit. We think it's probably a counterspace weapon capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit," Air Force Major General Pat Ryder was quoted as saying by AFP.
Ryder stressed that Washington would continue to monitor the situation and stood ready to defend its interests.
"We have a responsibility to be ready to protect and defend the space domain. We will provide sustained and continued support to the joint and combined forces," he said.
On May 21, Moscow accused the United States of seeking to put weapons in space after Washington vetoed a Russian proposal for non-proliferation at the United Nations.
"They have once again shown that their real priorities in the field of outer space are not aimed at keeping space free of weapons of any kind, but at putting weapons in space and turning it into an arena for military confrontation," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
In recent months, world powers have exchanged numerous accusations of seeking to weaponize space.
As part of the dispute, they have offered rival non-proliferation proposals to the United Nations.
Russia vetoed the U.S. initiative last month, while Moscow's proposal was blocked by the U.S., Britain and France in the May 20 vote.
U.S. envoy Robert Wood stressed that Russia's proposal, which calls on all countries to "take urgent measures to prevent forever the deployment of weapons in outer space," was a distraction and accused Moscow of "diplomatic obfuscation."
In February, the White House said Russia was developing an anti-satellite weapon whose existence was confirmed after lawmakers warned of an unspecified but serious threat to national security. / BGNES
