The military and political apparatus of the United States views space as a theatre of war, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting dedicated to the development of the Russian Navy on Wednesday.
"Russia has always been and will remain opposed to the military use of space," Putin said. "Leading nations of the world are actively developing modern space systems for military use...and the United States, in particular, is openly regarding space as a war theatre."
The Russian president added that the US is planning to conduct military operations in space to maintain its strategic superiority in this domain.
According to Putin, the current situation requires Russia to pay increased attention to strengthening the orbital group, as well as space and rocket industry in general.
He noted that the capabilities of Russia's missile attack warning system had significantly grown, adding that the system promptly detected launches of ballistic missiles.
Putin's comments come as NATO leaders are attending a summit in London dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the alliance.
US Aspirations in Space
In 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intention to set up a Space Force that would operate as the US military’s sixth branch within the Air Force.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump formally set up US Space Command, a separate entity from a Space Force, to help “defend US vital interests in space.” Russia lambasted the move, accusing Washington of militarising outer space.
Former Deputy Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan previously explained that the Space Force will serve as a force provider for personnel, assets, and capabilities supporting space operations, while Space Command will serve as the operational command that will employ space capabilities and lead space operations.
