Russia: "If US Sanctions Continue, We Will Withdraw from the International Space Station"

Tensions Continue Ahead of Biden-Putin Summit
Interest in Whether They Will Build an Independent Space Station Like China

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Russia has stated that its space industry is falling behind the United States due to American sanctions and warned that if these sanctions continue, it will withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS) program. This is interpreted as a strategy to bring the space sector, which has recently emerged as a major competitive field between the two countries, onto the agenda ahead of the summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to local media including Russia's TASS news agency on the 7th (local time), Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos, appeared at a hearing in the Russian parliament and stated, "If U.S. sanctions continue, Russia will have no choice but to withdraw from the ISS program," adding, "Due to U.S. sanctions, Russian space companies are prohibited from docking with the ISS and cannot launch rockets, which is causing Russian companies to fall behind in competition with the U.S. company SpaceX."

The U.S. government is known to be sanctioning 42 Russian government agencies, including Russia's private space companies, on the grounds that they are linked to the Russian military and the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), which has been identified as Russia's largest spy agency. Since the start of U.S. sanctions, the Russian government has continuously pressured the U.S. by threatening to withdraw from the ISS.

The ISS, established in 1998, is primarily operated by the United States, Russia, the European Union (EU), Japan, and Canada, with Russia playing a central role due to its prior experience operating several small independent space stations. Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA, recently stated in an interview with CNBC, "It would not be good if Russia withdraws from the ISS," and expressed hope that "the 45 years of cooperation between the two countries in the space sector will continue."

There are also expectations that Russia will establish an independent space station like China. Previously, the Russian government announced its intention to build an independent space station by 2030 and revealed plans to jointly establish a manned base on the far side of the moon with China.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.