Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Statement by representative of the Russian Federation Roman Kolesnikov at the Thematic Discussion on "Outer Space (Disarmament Aspects)" in the First Committee of the 79th session of the UNGA

Madam Chair,

Russia, as the author of a number of fundamental initiatives on the prevention of an arms race in outer space (PAROS), consistently contributes to keeping outer space free from weapons of any kind and preventing it from becoming yet another area of tension and armed confrontation. Our principled stand has remained unchanged for several decades already: achieving this goal is possible only through the development of generally recognized legally binding principles and norms of international law that would be comprehensive in nature and aimed at PAROS, as envisaged by the decisions of the First Special Session of the UN GA on Disarmament in 1978.

The risks of turning outer space into a springboard for aggression and war which increase year after year just confirm the urgency of this task. The course pursued by the United States and a number of Western countries towards placing weapons in outer space, building up the capabilities for the use of force against space objects (primarily through the development of weapon systems intended for the treat or use of force in, from or against outer space) and using outer space for combat operations continues to undermine international peace and security, destabilize the situation in outer space and have a negative impact on reaching the goal of PAROS.

At the same time, in an effort to divert the world community's attention from real threats in outer space and secure additional funding to strengthen its national military space capabilities, the United States, supported by its allies, continues its propaganda campaign aimed to discredit Russia's outer space activities and initiatives on PAROS. We are calling upon you not to fall into the trap set by Western countries to revise and undermine the international legal regime governing outer space activities, multilateral efforts on PAROS and maintaining international peace and strengthening global security through improving the existing legally binding arms control instruments and developing new ones.

We would like to once again highlight in particular the extremely dangerous trend going beyond the harmless use of space technologies, which became evident during the events in Ukraine. We are talking about the components of civilian, including commercial, infrastructure in outer space engaged by the United States and its allies for military purposes. These States do not realize that such activities actually constitute indirect participation in armed conflicts. Acts of Western countries pose unjustified risks to the sustainability of peaceful outer space activities, as well as to numerous socio-economic processes on Earth, on which depends the well-being of people, primarily in developing countries. Such provocative use of civilian satellites raises at least concerns in the context of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty which provides for the exclusively peaceful use of outer space, and should be condemned by the world community in the strongest terms.

We are convinced that it is still possible at the current stage to prevent a full‑scale arms race in outer space; the point of no return has not yet been passed. To these ends, we renew our call on UN Member States to reaffirm their commitment to existing international legally binding agreements governing outer space activities. At the national and international levels obligations should be undertaken not to place weapons of any kind in outer space (including in the Earth orbit and on celestial bodies) and the use or threat of force against and by means of outer space objects should be prohibited as well; it is important to establish a comprehensive ban on space strike weapons designed to destroy outer space objects.

We would like to recall our specific proposals:

–       not to use outer space objects as a means of destroying any targets on Earth, in the atmosphere or outer space;

–       not to create, test or deploy weapons in outer space, not to use space weapons for missile defence, as anti-satellite means, not to attack targets on Earth or in the atmosphere, as well as to eliminate such systems already possessed by States;

–       not to destroy, damage, disrupt the normal functioning or change the flight trajectory of other States’ outer space objects without their consent;

–       not to assist or incite other States, groups of States, international, intergovernmental, as well as any non-governmental organizations, including non-governmental legal entities established, registered or located on the territory under their jurisdiction and/or control, to participate in the above-mentioned activities.

In this context, it is important to understand that without reliable guarantees on keeping outer space free of weapons, enshrined in an international legally binding instrument on PAROS, it is pointless to address issues related to the peaceful use of outer space and ensuring safety of outer space activities. There is a basis for launching relevant negotiations: in 2008, the Russian Federation and China submitted a draft Treaty on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space and of the threat or use of force against outer space objects (PPWT) for consideration by the Conference on Disarmament (CD) and its updated version in 2014 accounting for comments and proposals made by a number of States. The document is still on the negotiating table.

We welcome the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) final report on PAROS. Elements of a relevant international legally binding instrument should be further elaborated on its basis, as envisaged by the GGE recommendations. We expect that the Group's successful outcome will accelerate the negotiations on a future treaty banning the placement of weapons in outer space, the threat or use of force against or by means of outer space objects.

We view transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space (TCBMs) as a step for the period until the aforementioned legally binding instrument is drafted to ensure the predictability of the strategic situation in outer space. Meanwhile, we would like to stress in particular that TCBMs should complement rather than replace an effective legally binding regime with respect to outer space. We note that this point was reiterated in the Recommendations to promote the practical implementation of TCBMs with the goal of PAROS adopted by consensus by the UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC) and included for the first time in the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) 2013 final report on TCBMs. We expect that the measures contained in these documents will be applied on a voluntary basis in national practices to the maximum possible and practically feasible extent and in accordance with the interests of UN Member States.

We proceed from a common understanding of the importance of TCBMs as an integral element of an international legally binding instrument on PAROS. TCBMs should aim at complete ban on the placement of weapons in outer space, the threat or use of force against or by means of outer space objects. It is those measures that, among other things, should ensure the settlement of disputes related to the implementation of a possible future PAROS treaty.

The international initiative/political commitment of No first placement of weapons in outer space (NFP) remains the only effective TCBM to prevent the placement of weapons in outer space. Over 35 States have already become its full-fledged participants, and their number continues to grow steadily.

The accession of all States to the NFP would essentially mean the adoption of a global political commitment not to place weapons in outer space, thereby making the development of both space strike and anti-satellite defence systems inexpedient. We call on all States to become its participants. We are convinced that a globalized NFP commitment would be a serious confidence-building measure in States’ outer space activities. We view the NFP as a step towards the conclusion of an international legally binding instrument containing guarantees against the placement of strike weapons systems into the near‑Earth orbit.

We see the need to strengthen the central role of the UN Committee on Outer Space (COPUOS) in addressing the key issues on the outer space agenda. Today, more than ever, it is important to ensure the depoliticized nature of debates and prevent transferring discussions within the COPUOS mandate to other forums. Otherwise, the work of this unique platform will simply be paralyzed.

Madam Chair,

The Russian Federation is hereby submitting draft UNGA resolutions "No First Placement of Weapons in Outer Space", "Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures in Outer Space Activities (TCBMs)" and "Further Practical Steps on PAROS" for consideration by the First Committee. In preparing these documents, we took into account best practices in the field of PAROS, as well as the outcomes of various specialized multilateral formats. We are calling on all States to support our draft resolutions and co‑sponsor them.

Thank you.