U.S. State Dept calls Russia's upcoming withdrawal from ISS project 'unfortunate development'

WASHINGTON. July 27 (Interfax) - The United States has described Russia's upcoming withdrawal from the International Space Station (ISS) project as "an unfortunate development", U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said, adding that this announcement has come as a surprise to Washington.

"We've seen Russia's statement that it plans to leave the International Space Station after 2024. It's an unfortunate development, given the critical scientific work performed at the ISS, the valuable, professional collaboration our space agencies have had over the years, and especially in light of our renewed agreement on space flight cooperation," Price said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

The U.S. was taken by surprise by Russia's statement that it would quit the ISS project, the U.S. Department of State spokesperson said, adding that he is not currently aware that discussions on this front have started yet.

"We were taken by surprise," he said.

On Tuesday, Roscosmos head Yury Borisov said that Russia will withdraw from the ISS project after 2024, by which time the deployment of a national space station will begin. The construction of Russia's own space station will be a key priority in Roscosmos's piloted space exploration efforts, Borisov said.