The U.N. Security Council on Monday rejected a resolution proposed by Russia on banning all weapons in space, with the United States saying Moscow is trying to mislead the world from its true intention.
Seven members of the 15-seat council including China backed the resolution, short of the nine required for adoption. The United States, Japan and five other countries opposed it while Switzerland abstained.
The United States said Russia launched a satellite on May 16 that could be a weapon capable of attacking other satellites, and that Russia launched similar satellites in 2019 and 2022.
"We are here today because Russia seeks to distract global attention from its development of a new satellite carrying a nuclear device," U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood said ahead of the vote.
Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's U.N. ambassador, responded by saying, "I didn't even fully understand what he was talking about. But that's not what is important."
In April, the United States and Japan submitted a resolution to the council to reaffirm a ban on nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in space. Russia vetoed the resolution and then said it would propose its own resolution.
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