- The White House calls as “nonsense” the Kremlin’s claims that revealing Russia’s desire to develop an “anti-satellite capability” is to get Ukraine more funding.
- That accusation was made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said the White House is “by hook or by crook” trying to get a Ukraine bill passed.
- Washington was rocked Wednesday by accusations that Russia was attempting to place a nuclear weapon in space, something the White House did not fully confirm.
The White House calls “nonsense” the Kremlin’s claims that revealing Russia’s attempt to develop an “anti-satellite capability” is a way to get Congress to funnel more money to Ukraine.
Washington was shaken by Wednesday’s revelations that Russia wanted to put a nuclear weapon in space.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner sounded the siren by pressuring President Joe Biden’s administration to declassify information about what he described as a “serious national security threat.”
At Thursday’s briefing, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby publicly confirmed that Russia was developing an “anti-satellite capability” but did not describe whether or how it was nuclear in nature, only to say that the weapon would be used. in space and posed no current danger to people on the ground.
Kirby quickly dismissed a claim made by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, who said: “It is obvious that the White House is trying, by hook or by crook, to encourage Congress to vote on a bill to allocate money.”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby (left) called the Russians “nonsense” during Thursday’s news conference, after Kremlin spokesman Dmirty Peskov (right) said the United States was raising fears about space nuclear weapons to get more money for Ukraine.
Peskov was referring to a supplemental funding bill that allocated more money to Ukraine’s efforts to beat back the Russian invasion that is currently stalled in the GOP-led House of Representatives.
“This is obvious,” Peskov continued. “Let’s see what ruse the White House will use.”
Kirby denied this with a one-word response and pointed out Britishism.
The NSC spokesperson also said Biden ordered a series of actions “including additional briefings for congressional leaders, direct diplomatic engagement with Russia, with our allies and partners as well, and with other countries around the world that have interests at stake.” “.
“We intend to engage directly with the Russians about this,” Kirby also said, adding that the United States had contacted the Kremlin but no talks had been achieved.
Kirby’s briefing served as public confirmation of the “troubling” threat.
“First, no active capability has been deployed, and while Russia’s pursuit of this particular capability is concerning, there is no immediate threat to anyone’s security,” he told reporters. “We are not talking about a weapon that can be used to attack human beings or cause physical destruction here on Earth.”
That said, Kirby cautioned that it still represented a technology that could be problematic.
“I don’t want to minimize the potential for disruption,” the NSC spokesperson said.
Kirby also downplayed Putin’s surprising endorsement of Biden over his likely 2024 general election rival, former President Donald Trump.
“I think Mr. Putin knows very well what this administration has been doing to counter Russia’s malign influence around the world and certainly what they have been doing inside Ukraine. We have shown time and time again how willing we are to to reject what Russia is doing, especially in Ukraine.
‘Mister. “Putin should just stay out of our elections,” Kirby added.