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Statement by the Deputy Head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation, Deputy Director of the Department for Non-proliferation and Arms Control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Konstantin Vorontsov before the vote on the draft proposals in Cluster 3: Outer Space (Disarmament aspects) in the First Committee of the 80th session of the UNGA, New York, November 3, 2025

5 November 2025 18:34
1857-05-11-2025

Unofficial translation

Mr. Chair,

As a responsible participant in outer space activities and the author of initiatives aimed at the prevention of an arms race in outer space (PAROS) the Russian Federation contributes considerably to preserving outer space free from weapons and preventing it from becoming another sphere of tension and armed confrontation.

Our position of principle remains unchanged: the only way to achieve this goal is through the development of multilateral legally binding instrument that would be comprehensive in nature and aimed at PAROS.

Being guided by this goal Russia has submitted to the UNGA First Committee three draft resolutions "Further Practical Measures on PAROS" (L.38), "Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures in Outer Space Activities" (L.36) and "No First Placement of Weapons in Outer Space" (L.37).

All three documents are based on the similar UNGA resolutions of previous years, which received support of the absolute majority of the UN Member States. They are aimed at contributing to the key goal - the development of a multilateral legally binding instrument with the prohibition of the placement of weapons in outer space, threat or use of force against and by means of outer space objects as envisaged by the decisions of the First Special Session of the UNGA on Disarmament in 1978.

The Russian draft resolutions on outer space welcome the contribution of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on PAROS to efforts in this field, as well as the GGE consensual report which serves as a reference document for further measures and negotiations on an international legally binding instrument on PAROS, including on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space.

We have taken into account in these drafts, in one form or another, all the proposals of delegations. The documents have been updated to reflect recent developments in the outer space domain. In particular, all three UNGA draft resolutions note the establishment of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) pursuant the UNGA decision 79/512, and the past sessions of the OEWG. The resolutions also welcome adoption by consensus of the agenda and the indicative timetable of the OEWG for 2025-2028 as well as the beginning of its substantive work.

The draft resolution on TCBMs also contains a paragraph on convening at the 81st UNGA session a joint half-day panel discussion of the Disarmament and International Security Committee (First Committee) and the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) to address possible challenges to space security and sustainability in outer space. Such a paragraph is included in the resolution on a biennial basis.

We call on all the delegations to support draft resolutions submitted by the Russian Federation. By doing so delegations will make a choice in favour of preserving outer space exclusively for peaceful purposes, creating conditions for nondiscriminatory access to space benefits and technologies, as well as their use for sustainable development goals.

Mr. Chair,

In conclusion, the Russian Federation would like to express its disappointment with the fact that the draft resolutions L.3 "Prevention of an arms race in outer space" and L.36 "Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures in Outer Space Activities" have been put on vote. Both drafts have been adopted by the UNGA First Committee without a vote for many years. We believe that the departure from consensus on these documents is a step backward in addressing the PAROS goal. This is a matter of regret for our delegation and, we hope, for all other delegations.

Thank you for your attention.