Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin

A ban on deployment of any weapons in space would avert a serious threat to global peace and security,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in a joint statement June 5 at a meeting in Moscow, AP reports (full article).

“They noted their shared opposition to Washington’s withdrawal from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a key Cold War-era arms control pact,” saying the U.S. move will “undermine strategic stability. They also voiced worry about the growing threat of an arms race in space, calling for a legally binding international agreement banning weapons in orbit.”