Russia-US ties are at an all time low, and probably worse than the time since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis when both the countries were closest to an intentional nuclear war, because of the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.

Russia has warned its citizens to not visit the US since relations with Washington are confrontational, claiming that they could risk being “hunted” by American authorities.

Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the warning through a news briefing on Wednesday.

“Trips to the United States of America privately or out of official necessity are fraught with serious risks,” she said, and described US-Russia relations as “on the verge of rupture”.

She further issued warnings to avoid travelling to Canada and to the US allies in the European Union saying, “We urge you to continue to refrain from trips to the United States of America and its allied satellite states, including, first of all, Canada and, with a few exceptions, European Union countries, during these holidays.”

In a similar way, the US has also issued a notice to its citizens on avoiding travel in Russia, saying “they may face harassment or detention by Russian security officials”.

The US has backed Ukraine with $62 billion in military aid since the war began in February 2022 and further escalating the issue, last month the US authorised Ukraine to use long-range missiles deep into Russia. This became a watershed moment in the war and the move triggered Moscow to lower its nuclear threshold.

In addition, the US has now handed Ukraine a $20 billion loan, which President Biden said “will be paid back by the interest earned from immobilized Russian sovereign assets”.

“These loans will support the people of Ukraine as they defend and rebuild their country. And our efforts make it clear: tyrants will be responsible for the damages they cause,” he added.

In any case, the White House states that it is only protecting its own interest by supplying weapons to Ukraine meanwhile Russia says the US is merely using Ukraine to weaken and ultimately destroy Russia.
 

Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia “will continue to make an unwavering contribution to keeping outer space free of weapons of any kind and preventing it from becoming another sphere of tension and armed confrontation”. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Russia on May 21 said the United States was seeking to place weapons in space, the latest accusation in an ongoing row that comes a day after Washington vetoed a Russian non-proliferation motion at the United Nations.

“They have once again demonstrated that their true priorities in the area of outer space are aimed not at keeping space free from weapons of any kind, but at placing weapons in space and turning it into an arena for military confrontation,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

The two superpowers have traded multiple accusations of seeking to weaponise space in recent months.

In February, Washington said it was concerned by an “anti-satellite capability that Russia has developed” after U.S. media outlets reported that intelligence agencies had warned their allies that Russia could launch a nuclear weapon into orbit.

Moscow denied those accusations as “malicious” and “unfounded,” saying it does not possess such systems.

Russia has since levelled similar charges at the United States.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not provide further details on Tuesday when asked if Moscow had specific information regarding U.S. plans to deploy weapons in space, saying only that the country’s intelligence agencies were monitoring the situation.

“Our special services are performing their work,” he told reporters in a briefing.

The countries have proposed rival non-proliferation motions at the United Nations as part of the spat.

Russia vetoed the U.S. initiative last month, while Moscow’s proposal was blocked by the United States, Britain and France in a vote on Monday.

Moscow said the U.S. initiative focused only on nuclear weapons and that Washington was not seriously interested in a complete ban on weapons in space.

The veto by the United States and its allies “spoke eloquently” about their priorities, Mr. Peskov said Tuesday.

U.S. envoy Robert Wood said Russia’s proposal, which called on all countries to “take urgent measures to prevent for all time the placement of weapons in outer space,” was a distraction and accused Moscow of “diplomatic gaslighting.”

Ms. Zakharova said Tuesday that Russia “will continue to make an unwavering contribution to keeping outer space free of weapons of any kind and preventing it from becoming another sphere of tension and armed confrontation.”

Space is a rare area where the two countries still have a degree of cooperation despite a swathe of Western sanctions and dire relations amid Russia’s offensive on Ukraine.

Both countries ferry each other’s crew members to and from the International Space Station (ISS), where their astronauts are jointly stationed.