Russia to suspend ISS cooperation if sanctions not lifted

Russia has threatened to end cooperation with other countries on the International Space Station (ISS) until the sanctions are lifted that were imposed on the country after its invasion of Ukraine.

Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, posted on Twitter that the "restoration of normal relations between partners" on the ISS and other projects is only possible with the "complete and unconditional lifting of illegal sanctions".

"The position of our partners is clear: the sanctions will not be lifted," Rogozin said late on Saturday.

"The purpose of the sanctions is to kill the Russian economy, plunge our people into despair and hunger, and bring our country to its knees."

Roscosmos will soon determine a date on when to halt Russia's involvement with the ISS.

In his tweets, Rogozin said he has appealed to lift the sanctions in letters to NASA, the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency.

"The head of NASA, Senator (Bill) Nelson, the head of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher, and the head of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Lisa Campbell, responded to my appeal to them demanding the lifting of sanctions against a number of enterprises in the Russian rocket and space industry," he further tweeted.