The Russian Foreign Minister was speaking at the Primakov Readings (photo:GBNI)
Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, was very critical of the way that Russia and the US worked together on the International Space Station (ISS). Russian cosmonauts go to the US to train and work on SpaceX, while American pilots get trained in Russia and use Russian spacecraft for their flights. Lavrov brought this situation to people’s attention as “surreal.”
In order to stress how strange this setup was, Lavrov said, “It looks weird, but it’s true. It is important.” He pointed out that it was strange that pilots from both countries were using each other’s space stations for training and real space trips.
The Foreign Minister also talked about how limited the ISS is, saying that it has been extended but is not infinite. He said that Russia is building its own space station and that Russia and China are working together on a project.
Lavrov was upset about what he saw as a lack of political discussion at a higher level about working together in space. He says that NASA chiefs say they are ready to work together on the ISS, but there is no political involvement in return.
Lavrov’s comments show how hard and complicated it can be for countries to work together in space, especially when there are global issues and more countries want to do their own space projects. The words show that Russia and the US do not share the same strategic goals in space, even though they are still working together on the ISS.
