Dimitri Rogozin, general director of Roscosmos, has announced that he is going to present “specific proposals” to the Russian government with the aim of finalizing the country’s collaboration in the ISS
The war in Ukraine does not only have consequences on the battlefield or on the Internet. It is also echoing in space. Dimitri Rogozin, general director of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, stated on Saturday through his Telegram channel that he is going to present “specific proposals” to the Russian government with the aim of finalizing the country’s collaboration with the International Space Station (ISS ). ). The reason? The sanctions imposed on national companies from the West, according to him, seek to “bring the state to its knees.”
“I believe that the restoration of normal relations between partners on the International Space Station and other joint projects is possible only with the full and unconditional lifting of illegal sanctions,” Rogozin explains in a message.
“Specific proposals from Roscosmos on the timing of the termination of cooperation within the framework of the ISS with the space agencies of the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Japan will be reported to the leaders of our country in the near future”, settles the general director of Roscosmos.
In the chats on his channel, Rogozin points out that the sanctions that Russia is suffering from the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Japan “are aimed at blocking the financial, economic and productive activities of our high-tech companies”: “ The purpose of the sanctions is to destroy the Russian economy, plunge our people into despair and hunger, and bring our country to its knees. It is clear that they will not be able to do this, but the intentions are clear.
Beyond announcing his intention to present a proposal to the Kremlin aimed at ending Russian cooperation on the ISS, the director of the space agency does not share details. Nor is there a schedule with the terms of the presumed departure from the Station. NASA sources consulted by ‘ The New York Times ‘ did not want to assess Rogozin’s words directly. They simply affirm, according to this medium, that operations on the orbital platform continue normally.
The head of Roscosmos has also taken advantage of Telegram to launch attacks against his counterparts in Western space agencies, to whom he sent letters complaining about the sanctions established against Russia. “The American and Canadian responses are almost carbon copied,” Rogozin explained. Josef Aschbacher, executive director of the European Space Agency (ESA), pointed out that “he acted like a postman, confirming that he does not solve such problems and, therefore, transmitted my appeal to the EU member states”.
“That is, we are invited to wait until the bureaucracies of the 28 EU countries deign to read the Roscosmos letter. At that time, the donkey will die or the ISS will die of old age, “said the director of Roscosmos. It should be remembered that the agreement of all the agencies that collaborate in the station ends in 2024 and the United States is working to extend it. “All of our international partners, including Roscosmos, are moving toward extending the station through 2030,” said Kathy Lueders, NASA associate administrator for space operations, at a press conference just days ago.
