Russia condemns Trump missile defence shield plan, accuses US of plotting to militarise space

By Dmitry Antonov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Friday condemned an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump to build a new missile defence shield, accusing the United States of trying to upset the global nuclear balance and pave the wave for military confrontation in space.

Trump on Monday signed an order that "mandated a process to develop an ‘American Iron Dome,’" a next-generation U.S. missile defence shield against ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missile and other forms of aerial attack.

The White House said the intention was to modernise an outdated system and address a "catastrophic threat" that had become more complex as U.S. adversaries developed new delivery systems.

But Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the plan was aimed at undermining the ability of both Russia and China to exercise nuclear deterrence.

In the sharpest Russian criticism so far of a policy announced by Trump's new administration, she said that the planned U.S. move would hinder the prospects for talks on nuclear arms control - something that both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have said they favour.

"It (the plan) directly envisages a significant strengthening of the American nuclear arsenal and means for conducting combat operations in space, including the development and deployment of space-based interception systems," Zakharova told reporters at a news briefing in Moscow.

"We consider this as another confirmation of the U.S. focus on turning space into an arena of armed confrontation... and the deployment of weapons there.

"The indicated U.S. approaches will not contribute to reducing tensions or improving the situation in the strategic sphere, including creating a basis for a fruitful dialogue on strategic offensive arms," she said.

The White House's Iron Dome statement did not refer to strengthening the U.S. nuclear arsenal, but said:

"The Iron Dome will further the goals of peace through strength. By empowering the United States with a second-strike capability, the Iron Dome will deter adversaries from attacks on the homeland."

Trump and Putin have both said they would like to meet face-to-face to discuss a range of issues, including the Ukraine war, but Moscow says it has yet to receive any signals from the U.S. on when and where such an encounter could take place.

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov, writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Andrew Osborn)