A UN Security Council resolution banning weapons in space failed to pass. Italy's foreign minister did not support Ukraine using Western weapons to attack targets in Russia. Several Russian technicians traveled to North Korea to help launch a spy satellite.
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| Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia. (Source: AP) |
According to AP , the US side believes that Russia launched a satellite last week - possibly part of the weaponization of space, a possible global trend that members of the United Nations Security Council have condemned even if they have not adopted measures against it.
A Russian-drafted Security Council resolution rivaled one backed by the United States and Japan but failed last month.
The United States and its allies said the resolution the 15-member council debated on May 20 was intended only to distract the world from Russia's true intentions to weaponize space.
First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said that Moscow was surprised by the stance of the United States and Japan, rejecting the initiative to ban the deployment of any weapons in space.
In an interview with TASS news agency, Mr. Polyansky expressed: "We are surprised by the position of the United States and Japan, rejecting any initiative on not deploying any weapons to prevent a space race."
According to the Russian diplomat, Moscow criticized the discussion of this issue only in the form of the UN Security Council (UNSC), saying that more countries should participate in the discussion.
“This has been the logic of all disarmament and non-proliferation efforts for decades,” Mr. Polyansky added. “But suddenly our colleagues decided to change the rules in order to gain political advantage by exposing Russia for its plans to launch something into orbit. But I think they failed miserably…”
In this regard, Mr. Polyansky recalled the draft UNSC resolution proposed by Russia earlier on the confirmation of the obligation of states not to use outer space for the deployment of weapons. The document, among other things, calls on all states to take urgent measures to prevent the permanent deployment of weapons in outer space. The draft resolution also calls for steps to prevent the use of force in space, from space to Earth and from Earth against outer space objects.
In the vote at the UN Security Council, Russia, China, Algeria, Guyana, Ecuador, Mozambique and Sierra Leone voted in favor of the resolution. Switzerland abstained. The United States, France, Britain, Japan, Slovenia, South Korea and Malta opposed it. The resolution failed to pass because it did not receive the required 9/15 votes.
Regarding the North Korean issue, a senior South Korean defense official revealed on May 26 that many Russian experts had arrived in Pyongyang to assist the country in launching a spy satellite and they had conducted more engine tests than expected to meet the "high" standards set.
Speaking to Yonhap news agency, a South Korean official shared: "North Korea has been very careful in conducting more (missile) engine tests than expected... Looking at North Korea's activities last year, it should have carried out a missile launch."
The official said many Russian technicians had arrived in North Korea after President Vladimir Putin pledged support for Pyongyang’s satellite program last year and that North Korea may have “high” standards, leading to delays. “North Korea may have been ready to launch the missile without fully understanding it, but (Russian) experts may have advised them not to do so,” the South Korean defense official said.
In another development, the South Korean military said on May 24 that it had detected clear signs of North Korea preparing for a new missile launch, after earlier stating that there were no signs that such a launch was imminent.
On May 26, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that Ukraine should not use Western weapons to attack targets in Russia.
“We will not send a single Italian soldier to Ukraine and the military equipment that Italy provides will only be used on Ukrainian territory,” Tajani was quoted by Adnkronos news agency as saying. He added that Italy was a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and all decisions had to be made collectively.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with The Economist on May 25 that NATO countries should lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons to carry out attacks on targets in Russia.
Commenting on Mr Stoltenberg’s statement, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, head of the League party in the ruling right-wing coalition, said that there was no possibility of lifting the ban on the use of Western weapons against Russian territory. He noted that he had always opposed sending Italian troops to the conflict in Ukraine.
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