US warned Russia over space weapons, US official says

The United States has directly warned Russia against launching a new nuclear armed anti-satellite weapon, a U.S. official said on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity. The U.S. official's comments came two days after a source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the United States believes Russia is developing such a weapon.

The United States has directly warned Russia against launching a new nuclear armed anti-satellite weapon, a U.S. official said on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. official's comments came two days after a source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the United States believes Russia is developing such a weapon. The detonation of a weapon of this kind, the source said, could disrupt everything from military communications to phone-based ride services.

The U.S. official said that Washington had cautioned Russia against launching such a weapon. The Wall Street Journal first reported the warning, saying that the United States told Russia that such a weapon would violate the Outer Space Treaty and jeopardize U.S. national security interests.