Home
Politics
Bridenstine said that the invitation was an attempt to maintain relations with Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos. But he told the Washington Post he withdrew it after hearing from numerous senators "suggesting that this was not a good idea."
The invitation had set off alarms among hawks in Congress, who noted that sanctions typically bar people from entering the US. Rogozin was placed on a sanction list in 2014 in response to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
While diplomatic relations between the US and Russia are strained, cooperation between the two countries' space programmes has continued. NASA currently depends on the Russian space programme to carry its astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Russian news agency TASS said Saturday that Roscosmos is waiting for an explanation. It quoted a Roscosmos statement as saying cooperation between NASA and Roscosmos on the ISS and other space programmes "has not been suspended as of yet."
Senator Jeanne Shaheen was among the senators who objected to the invitation to Rogozin. She said in a statement that the invitation weakened US global standing "by demonstrating the ease by which Russian officials can get around transatlantic sanctions."
The invitation had set off alarms among hawks in Congress, who noted that sanctions typically bar people from entering the US. Rogozin was placed on a sanction list in 2014 in response to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
While diplomatic relations between the US and Russia are strained, cooperation between the two countries' space programmes has continued. NASA currently depends on the Russian space programme to carry its astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Russian news agency TASS said Saturday that Roscosmos is waiting for an explanation. It quoted a Roscosmos statement as saying cooperation between NASA and Roscosmos on the ISS and other space programmes "has not been suspended as of yet."
Senator Jeanne Shaheen was among the senators who objected to the invitation to Rogozin. She said in a statement that the invitation weakened US global standing "by demonstrating the ease by which Russian officials can get around transatlantic sanctions."
