This seems to have flown under the radar here, but at the latest UN Security Council meeting Russia once again did what it does best — veto a resolution that had the full support of every other member (except China of course, who did what they do best and simply abstained). From Business Insider:
Russia used its Security Council veto on Wednesday to block a resolution calling on countries to work toward the "prevention of an arms race in outer space."
The resolution also sought to reaffirm existing treaties that oblige countries "not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction," per the UN press service.
Thirteen member countries voted for the resolution, with China abstaining.
Russia was the only country to vote against it.
Russia's move comes amid concerns in the White House that Russia is developing a satellite capable of carrying a nuclear device.
This is the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon that caused quite the kerfuffle a couple of months ago that Russia insists it's not developing.
The White House reacted to Wednesday's vote, saying: "We have heard President Putin say publicly that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space. If that were the case, Russia would not have vetoed this resolution."
Russia offered up the lame excuse that the US-Japanese resolution “didn’t go far enough” —
Russia and China had proposed an amendment to the resolution calling on all states to prevent weapons and any threat or use of force in outer space "for all time."
Nebenzia also accused the US of blocking a long-standing treaty proposal from Russia and China barring weapons in space, per the AP.
In an interview with Arms Control Today magazine ahead of the vote, US Assistant Secretary of State Mallory Stewart was critical of such proposals for being vague and unenforceable.
"We've seen where countries propose treaties, such as the prevention of placement of weapons in outer space treaty that Russia and China have pushed for many years, without even an accepted common definition of what a 'weapon' in space is," she said.
Needless to say, the actual deployment of such an EMP weapon in space could only be seen as striving for a first strike capability in an all-out war with NATO, which does not bode well for the future of deterrence or the strategic balance.
Why again is Russia still permitted to be a member of the UN, much less a permanent member of the Security Council, if it cannot abide by the UN charter to refrain from waging aggressive war against its neighbors?