The United States and Russia are preparing to clash over nuclear weapons in space on Wednesday at the United Nations Security Council, which will vote on a US-drafted resolution urging countries to avoid an arms race in outer space. 

According to Reuters, some officials believe Russia will block the draft resolution. The United States' move comes after it accused Moscow of creating an anti-satellite nuclear weapon for use in space, a claim that Russia's military minister emphatically refuted.

UN Set to Vote on Use of Nuclear Weapons in Space

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and Yamazaki Kazuyuki, the Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations, said in a joint statement on Friday that they had been negotiating with Security Council members on the draft wording for six weeks.

The language underlines nations' obligations to comply with the Outer Space Treaty and encourages countries to "contribute actively to the goal of peaceful use of outer space and the prevention of an outer space arms race."

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits members, including Russia and the United States, from installing "in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction."

Russia and China intend to first propose an amendment to a vote in the council. The amendment recalls the pair's 2008 proposal for a convention prohibiting "any weapons in outer space" and threats "or use of force against outer space objects."

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Russia Opposes Using Nuclear Weapoons in Space

Diplomats indicated the proposal is unlikely to be adopted. The amendment and draft resolution both require at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes from Russia, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, or France to pass.

According to John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, Russia has yet to deploy such a weapon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in February that Russia opposed the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.

Governments have increasingly considered satellites in Earth's orbit as critical assets that enable a wide range of military capabilities on Earth, with recent examples of space-based communications and satellite-connected drones in the Ukraine conflict demonstrating space's outsized role in modern warfare. 

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