Putin says Russia has no intention of putting nuclear weapons in space, denying US claims

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Moscow has no intention to deploy nuclear weapons in space, claiming that the country only has developed space capabilities similar to what the U.S. has. Putin’s statement follows last week’s White House confirmation that Russia has obtained a “troubling” anti-satellite weapon capability although it is not operational yet. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said it would violate the international Outer Space Treaty, but declined to comment on whether the weapon is nuclear capable. Putin said Tuesday that “we always have been categorically against and continue to be against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.” He added that Russia only has developed space capabilities that “other nations, including the U.S. have.”