The United States is drafting a U.N. Security Council resolution cautioning against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.
According to Bloomberg News reporter Jennifer Jacobs' post on X, the move comes as the Biden administration aims to discourage Russia from potential initiatives to place a warhead into orbit.
Fifty-seven years ago, the United States and the Soviet Union forged the Outer Space Treaty, solidifying a pact that barred nuclear weapons from being stationed in orbit or elsewhere in outer space. Today, concerns mount as the Biden administration moves to deter Russia from potentially deploying a warhead into orbit, according to Arms Control Association.
Recent intelligence findings have uncovered evidence of Russia's development of an antisatellite (ASAT) weapons system, including a nuclear explosive device, violating the treaty that over 130 countries, including Russia, have signed. Russian President Vladimir Putin denies any such endeavors, stating Russia's stance against nuclear weapons in space.
"Our position is clear and transparent: We have always been categorically against and are now against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space," Putin told Sergei Shoigu, his defense minister.
"We urge not only compliance with all agreements that exist in this area but also offered to strengthen this joint work many times," Putin said.
The implications of a nuclear-armed ASAT system are grave, potentially unleashing radiation and electromagnetic pulses that could cripple the thousands of commercial and military satellites currently orbiting Earth.
Russia's pursuit of such a system is seen as a challenge to global norms against nuclear weaponry, but it is not viewed as a game-changer in the existing military balance. The United States and other nations possess ASAT capabilities, including ground-based missiles capable of destroying satellites.
Similar to China, India, and the United States, Russia has exhibited the capacity to employ a ground-based missile to target and obliterate a satellite in orbit. Nations possessing nuclear-armed ballistic missiles also possess the inherent capability to detonate a nuclear explosive device in space.
Russian ASAT weapons systems represent one element contributing to the precarious nuclear and deterrence dynamics. Without new mutually accepted limitations on the strategic nuclear stockpiles of both Russia and the United States, coupled with efforts to curb the expansion of China's arsenal, there is a looming risk of an expensive three-way nuclear arms competition gaining momentum post the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in 2026.
In February, President Joe Biden moved to reassure the American public, emphasizing that there is "no nuclear threat" to the United States despite Russia's contemplation of using an antisatellite capability, reported NBC News.
Speaking from the White House, Biden addressed concerns about Russia's potential antisatellite capability, saying, "First of all, there is no nuclear threat to the people of America or anywhere else in the world with what Russia is doing at the moment, No. 1. No. 2, anything they're doing or they will do relates to satellites in space and damaging those satellites potentially. No. 3, there's no evidence they've made a decision to go forward with anything in space either."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.