NYT: US Secretary of State addresses China and India on Russian nuclear weapons in space

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Russia's possible development of has nuclear space weapons in a conversation with his Chinese and Indian counterparts on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. 

Source: European Pravda with reference to The New York Times 

Details: As the newspaper writes, Blinken's message was unambiguous: any nuclear explosion in space would destroy not only American satellites but also those of Beijing and New Delhi. 

According to the article, the secretary of state also said that since Russian President Vladimir Putin has clearly expressed his contempt for the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian President Narendra Modi should dissuade him from what could turn into a disaster. 

As the unnamed U.S. officials and independent analysts said, a hypothetical nuclear explosion in space would disrupt global communications systems, causing disruptions in everything from emergency services to mobile communications to the regulation of generators and pumps. 

In addition, they argue, debris from the explosion would be scattered throughout low Earth orbit and make navigation difficult, if not impossible, for all satellites – from Starlink satellites used for Internet communications to spy satellites. 

Even if Russia were to put a nuclear weapon into orbit, U.S. officials spoken to by The New York Times agree that it would not be detonated. 

Instead, they say, it will remain in low orbit as a time bomb, reminding Putin that if he is pressured too hard by sanctions or military resistance to his ambitions in Ukraine or beyond, he can destroy economies without affecting the world's population physically.

A senior intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper that he believes Russia is developing space-based nuclear weapons because Putin believes that none of his adversaries, including the United States, would risk a direct confrontation with Russia over the deployment of a nuclear-armed satellite. 

Another intelligence official said that Putin may be betting that the threat of a nuclear explosion in space is different from the threat of destroying Los Angeles or London, as Putin would threaten equipment rather than people, which he believes gives him more leeway in deploying the new satellite. 

Background:

• Earlier, CNN reported, citing sources, that Russia's activities, which in recent days have caused concern about the threat to US national security, are related to the creation of nuclear space weapons capable of generating a power surge and disabling a significant number of satellites. 
• Officially, the United States informed Congress and its allies in Europe of new intelligence related to Russia's nuclear capabilities, which could pose an international threat. Later, sources said that the warning concerned Russia's space and satellite capabilities. 
• Moscow sees the US statements about the national security threat as an attempt to persuade Republicans in Congress to approve an aid project for Ukraine.

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