On Friday, Russia criticised an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump to create a new missile defence shield, claiming that the U.S. is attempting to disrupt the global nuclear balance and set the stage for military conflict in space.

Trump, on Monday, signed an order to create an "American Iron Dome," a new U.S. missile defence system designed to protect against ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missiles, and other aerial threats. The White House explained that the goal was to upgrade an older system and respond to a growing and more complicated "catastrophic threat" as U.S. adversaries have developed advanced attack methods. However, Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that the strategy was intended to weaken China's and Russia's capacity to practice nuclear deterrence.

In the strongest criticism yet from Russia about a policy introduced by Trump's new administration, it was stated that the proposed U.S. action would negatively affect the chances of talks on nuclear arms control, an area both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have expressed interest in improving. "It directly envisages a significant strengthening of the American nuclear arsenal and means for conducting combat operations in space, including the development and deployment of space-based interception systems," Zakharova told reporters at a news briefing in Moscow.

"We consider this as another confirmation of the U.S. focus on turning space into an arena of armed confrontation... and the deployment of weapons there. "The indicated U.S. approaches will not contribute to reducing tensions or improving the situation in the strategic sphere, including creating a basis for a fruitful dialogue on strategic offensive arms," she said.

Instead of mentioning bolstering the U.S. nuclear arsenal, the White House's Iron Dome statement stated, "The Iron Dome will further the goals of peace through strength. By empowering the United States with a second-strike capability, the Iron Dome will deter adversaries from attacks on the homeland." Both Trump and Putin have expressed interest in meeting face-to-face to discuss various issues, including the war in Ukraine. However, Moscow has stated that it has not yet received any indication from the U.S. regarding when or where such a meeting might occur.