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WORLD NEWS Thursday 25 april 2024
Russia vetoes a U.N. resolution calling for the prevention of a

nuclear arms race in space

By EDITH M. LEDERER one abstention because it
Associated Press failed to get the minimum
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — 9 “yes” votes required for
Russia on Wednesday ve- adoption.
toed a U.N. resolution spon- The defeated draft resolu-
sored by the United States tion said “the prevention
and Japan calling on all of an arms race in outer
nations to prevent a dan- space would avert a grave
gerous nuclear arms race danger for international
in outer space. peace and security.” It
The vote in the 15-member would have urged all coun-
Security Council was 13 in tries carrying out activities
favor, Russia opposed and in exploring and using outer
China abstaining. Russia space to comply with inter-
dismissed the measure as national law and the U.N.
politicized and said it didn’t Charter.
go far enough in banning The draft would have af-
all types of weapons in firmed that countries that
space. ratified the 1967 Outer
The resolution would have Space Treaty must comply
called on all countries not with their obligations not to
to develop or deploy nu- put in orbit around the Earth
clear arms or other weap- “any objects” with weap-
ons of mass destruction in U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks on Thursday, April 18, 2024, ons of mass destruction,
space, as banned under in Tokyo. or install them “on celes-
a 1967 international treaty Associated Press tial bodies, or station such
that included the U.S. and the question of what the Putin declared later that “absurd and politicized.” weapons in outer space.”
Russia, and to agree to the government may be hid- Moscow has no intention of Nebenzia proposed an The treaty, ratified by some
need to verify compliance. ing.Thomas-Greenfield’s deploying nuclear weap- amendment to the U.S.- 114 countries including the
U.S. Ambassador Linda announcement of the reso- ons in space, claiming that Japan draft saying an arms United States and Russia,
Thomas-Greenfield said lution on March 18 followed the country has only devel- race in outer space should prohibits the deployment
after the vote that Russian White House confirmation oped space capabilities refer to all kinds of weap- of “nuclear weapons or
President Vladimir Putin has in February that Russia has similar to those of the Unit- ons not just nuclear weap- any other kinds of weapons
said Moscow has no inten- obtained a “troubling” an- ed States. Russia’s U.N. Am- ons and other weapons of of mass destruction” in orbit
tion of deploying nuclear ti-satellite weapon capabil- bassador Vassily Nebenzia mass destruction. It was de- or the stationing of “weap-
weapons in space, but that ity, although such a weap- told the council before the feated by a vote of 7 coun- ons in outer space in any
the country’s veto raises on is not operational yet. vote that the resolution was tries in favor, 7 against and other manner.”q

China blasts U.S. military aid to Taiwan, saying the island is

entering a ‘dangerous situation’

BEIJING (AP) — China on “sends a wrong signal to Strait and also boost confi-
Wednesday blasted the the Taiwan independence dence in the region.”
latest package of U.S. mili- separatist forces.” The package has had
tary assistance to Taiwan Office spokesperson Zhu broad congressional sup-
on Wednesday, saying that Fenglian added that Tai- port since Biden first re-
such funding was pushing wan’s ruling pro-indepen- quested the money last
the self-governing island dence Democratic Pro- summer. But congressional
republic into a “dangerous gressive Party, which won a leaders had to navigate
situation.” third four-year presidential strong opposition from a
The U.S. Senate late Tues- term in January, is willing to growing number of conser-
day passed $95 billion in “become a pawn for exter- vatives who question U.S.
war aid to Ukraine, Israel nal forces to use Taiwan to involvement in foreign wars
and Taiwan after months of contain China, bringing Tai- and argue that Congress
delays and contentious de- wan into a dangerous situ- should be focused instead
bate over how involved the ation.” on the surge of migration at
United States should be in On Tuesday, Taiwan’s Presi- the U.S.-Mexico border. In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, from
left Mark Alford, a member of the House Armed Services
foreign wars. China claims dent-elect Lai Ching-te told The package covers a wide Committee, U.S. Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee, Lisa
the entire island of Taiwan a visiting U.S. Congressional range of parts and services McClain, secretary-general of the Republican Caucus of the
as its own territory and has delegation that the aid aimed at maintaining and U.S. House of Representatives meets with Taiwan President-elect
threatened to take it by package would “strength- and upgrading Taiwan’s and Vice President Lai Ching-te in Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday,
force if necessary. en the deterrence against military hardware. Sepa- April 23, 2024. Associated Press
The mainland’s Taiwan Af- authoritarianism in the West rately, Taiwan has signed main battle tanks and the Taiwan has also been ex-
fairs Office said the aid “se- Pacific ally chain” and billions in contracts with the HIMARS rocket system, panding its own defense in-
riously violates” U.S. com- “help ensure peace and U.S. for latest-generation F- which the U.S. has also sup- dustry, building submarines
mitments to China and stability across the Taiwan 16V fighter jets, M1 Abrams plied to Ukraine. and trainer jets.q