US warned allies about Russian space, nuclear ability: Sources informed on the matter told Reuters on Wednesday that the U.S. has told Congress and allies in Europe about new information about Russian nuclear powers that could be a threat to the whole world.
As a result of Russia’s efforts to create a space-based weapon, the new skills do not immediately threaten the U.S., the person said.
The information got out after Representative Mike Turner, the Republican head of the U.S. House of Representatives’ intelligence committee, made a strange and vague comment on Wednesday about a “serious national security threat.”
After the fact, sources said the threat had to do with Russian space weapons, specifically satellites. According to one of the sources, the problem is significant, but it has nothing to do with operational capability and shouldn’t scare people.
Turner made a statement in which he asked President Biden to “declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat.” The statement did not give any more information.
The New York Times earlier reported that the new information was about Russia’s efforts to make a space-based nuclear weapon that could destroy satellites. The story cited both current and past U.S. officials. ABC News reported earlier that the information related to such a weapon. Officials now and in the past have said that the nuclear bomb was not in orbit.
Turner’s statement came out when Congress was debating how the U.S. should handle threats from Russia and other rivals worldwide. Security hawks wanted the U.S. to be more involved in global issues. In contrast, lawmakers with ties to Republican former President Donald Trump wanted a more isolationist “America First” approach to world affairs.
Turner just got back from bringing a bipartisan group of lawmakers to Ukraine. While there, he told his colleagues that Ukraine was running out of time to fight back against Russian attackers.
The Biden administration is criticizing House Republicans more for possibly stopping a Senate-passed $95 billion bill that would help Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Some people who support the bill say that one main reason the U.S. should help the government in Kyiv is to counter Russian threats that go beyond Ukraine.
“NOT A REASON TO BE ALARM”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a strong supporter of Trump, told reporters at the Capitol that there was no reason for people to be worried. Johnson says he will not rush to let a vote happen on the Senate bill. “There are steady hands on the wheel. We’re working on it and there’s no need to worry,” he said.
In a joint statement, Democratic chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner, and Republican vice chair, Marco Rubio, said their committee has the information in question and has been “rigorously” following the case.
They told Warner and Rubio about the threat weeks ago, according to someone who knows about it. According to the source, this issue might have something to do with the bill for spending on security. However, there is no straight link between the two.
One of the top Democrats on the House Intelligence Panel, Jim Himes, said that Turner’s comment raises essential issues, “but it is not a cause for panic.”
President Joe Biden’s national security assistant, Jake Sullivan, wouldn’t say more. He said he had planned for Thursday to be a briefing with congressional leaders by intelligence and defense officials from the administration. He added that Turner’s comment had shocked him.
Sullivan told a meeting, “I’m unable to say anything else today.” “As I said, I look forward to the discussion with Turner, and obviously, from there, we will determine how to proceed, but standing here at the podium today, I can’t share anything further.”
