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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Julian Borger in Washington

White House confirms monitoring of ‘troubling’ Russian anti-satellite weapon

a man wearing black suit and striped tie speaks from a lectern in front of a US flag
National security spokesperson, John Kirby, speaks in the White House press briefing room in Washington, on 15 February 2024. Photograph: REX/Shutterstock

The White House has confirmed that it is monitoring a new Russian anti-satellite weapon which it said is being developed but not yet deployed, calling it “troubling” but not an immediate threat to anyone’s safety.

The national security spokesperson, John Kirby, would not directly confirm or deny reports that the new Russian weapon was nuclear, but he did say it was “space-based” and that it violated the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits the deployment in space of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction.

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