Yuri Borisov, who was appointed earlier this month to head the state-controlled space agency Roscosmos, said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia would fulfill its obligations to other partners on the International Space Station before leaving the space station. work. “The decision to abandon the station after 2024 has been made,” Borisov said. Borisov’s statement confirmed earlier statements by Russian space officials about Moscow’s intention to abandon the space station after 2024. The decision comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West over the Kremlin’s military action in Ukraine. Despite the rift, NASA and Roscosmos struck a deal earlier this month for astronauts to continue piloting Russian rockets and for Russian cosmonauts to travel to the International Space Station with SpaceX starting this fall. WATCH|Russian cosmonauts hold flags in support of pro-Russian separatists:
Russia snubs space station partners over war tensions in Ukraine
Russia is giving its partners on the International Space Station the cold shoulder over tensions caused by the war in Ukraine. Images circulating of Russian cosmonauts holding flags in support of pro-Russian separatists have prompted rare statements from space agencies in Canada, the US and Europe. According to NASA and Russian officials, the agreement ensures that the space station will always have at least one American and one Russian to keep both sides of the orbital outpost running smoothly. The exchange had long been in the works and was completed despite friction over Ukraine in a sign of continued Russian-US cooperation in space.
