US and Japan seek UN resolution calling on all nations to ban nuclear weapons in outer space

The United States and Japan are sponsoring a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on nations not to deploy or develop nuclear weapons in space. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a council meeting Monday that placing nuclear weapons in orbit around Earth would be "dangerous, and unacceptable.” The announcement that the U.S. and Japan had circulated a resolution follows White House confirmation last month that Russia has obtained a “troubling” anti-satellite weapon capability, although such a weapon is not operational. Russia's Vladimir Putin later said Moscow has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space. The Outer Space Treaty ratified by the U.S. and Russia prohibits deployment of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit.