The News
In a joint statement Thursday, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping condemned US President Donald Trump’s plan to build a “Golden Dome” missile defense shield as “deeply destabilizing,” warning that the initiative could transform space into “an arena for armed confrontation.”
Trump’s “Golden Dome” plans include building a satellite-based network to trace and intercept missiles over the US, but analysts have warned that the proposal could antagonize Beijing and Moscow, which could decide to build up their nuclear arsenals in response.
The US believes Russia and China are testing their own offensive space capabilities, CNN reported, including practicing how to launch attacks with satellites and developing space-based lasers, and, in Moscow’s case, developing nuclear weapons that deploy in space.