Russia is inconsistent on military space

MOSCOW, April 15 (UPI) -- Russian officials have condemned U.S. plans to deploy weapons in space, but said a military presence in space remains a priority for their own country.

Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov was reported by the ITAR-TASS news agency as saying he is categorically opposed to U.S. plans for deploying weapons in space. Ivanov commented on statements made recently by Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, about the need for a space-based defense system.

"Russia is against deploying nuclear weapons in space," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying.

At the same time Ivanov said a military presence in space remains a priority for Russia. In the near future, he said, Russia is to build new space launch sites and new dual-purpose boosters that will serve both military and civilian needs.

"There are currently about 100 spacecraft in our space military group, and the role of space will only go on increasing," ITAR-TASS quoted Ivanov as saying.