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Astronaut Mark Vande in the International Space Station (ISS): Mankind's outpost in danger
Photo: Kayla Barron/AP
For a long time, the International Space Station (ISS) was considered one of the few places where, apart from world politics, cooperation between sometimes hostile nations could take place: Beyond the earth's atmosphere, the USA, Russia, Japan, Canada and Europe were close partners - despite earthly tensions.
Now, however, the ISS has become a political pawn.
Moscow has threatened to end cooperation on the International Space Station if the US and other western countries do not lift their sanctions against Russia.
The Moscow leadership will soon propose specific deadlines for ending the cooperation, said the head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, via Telegram.
The letters would then be sent to the space agencies of the United States, Canada, Japan and the European Union.
These had issued the sanctions after Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
Nasa wants to keep it running
A full restoration of normal relations between ISS partners is "possible only with a complete and unconditional lifting of illegal sanctions," Rogozin said.
He also published letters in reply to Telegram from his US colleague Bill Nelson from NASA and the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher.
Nelson replied that cooperation with Russia on the ISS should continue.
Accordingly, NASA also wants to work with the US authorities for simplified solutions, it said with a view to the Russian companies subject to sanctions, including the manufacturer of the space transporter Progress.
"Maintaining safe and successful ISS operations remains a priority for the United States."
ISS could “die its own death”
In contrast, the Austrian Aschbacher only acted as a “postman”, Rogozin criticized, he only passed the Roskosmos letter on to the EU members.
Russia should therefore wait until all EU members have spoken, said Rogozin.
Until then, the ISS could "die its own death."
It is clear that the sanctions will not be lifted.
Nevertheless, it is pretended that they do not concern the ISS, "where the role of Russia is fundamentally important in ensuring the vital functions and security" of mankind's outpost.
That is unacceptable, said Rogozin.
rai/dpa
