Russia is struggling to develop its space program due to sanctions, a ban on equipment supplies, and a lack of funding. Donald Trump may offer the US aid in exchange for signing a peace deal with Ukraine.
This is reported by The Hills.
The Russians plan to build a new space station to replace their share of the ISS when it is decommissioned, and Moscow has already formed an alliance with China to develop the sector.
However, the US Institute for Foreign Policy Studies reports that sanctions, embargoes on the supply of advanced industrial equipment, shortages of labor and finance, the cessation of cooperation in the space sector with the West, etc. are creating problems for the Russian Federation. Analysts suggest that the state of the Russian space program has been deteriorating since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
This situation gives Trump a chance to offer Vladimir Putin a role in NASAʼs Artemis program in exchange for ending the war in Ukraine, the publication writes. This would open up prospects for Moscow to participate in lunar exploration and access to advanced American technologies and partners, such as SpaceX.
At the same time, Russia should sign the Artemis Accords, an international agreement that obliges countries to peacefully explore space. According to The Hills, whether this initiative will be implemented depends only on Putin.
What are Trumpʼs plans for the war in Ukraine?
During his election campaign, Trump claimed that he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine “in one day”. After the Republican won the US presidential election, the WSJ reported that he had not decided exactly how he planned to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Some of his advisers have proposed a model where the US would provide weapons to the Ukrainians in exchange for Ukraine not joining NATO for 20 years. Under this plan, the front line would be frozen and both sides would agree to a 1 287-kilometer demilitarized zone.
The WSJ noted that all of Trumpʼs advisorsʼ plans involve freezing the conflict and temporarily refusing Ukraineʼs entry into the Alliance.
Previously, Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine will defend its integrity and will not cede its territories to Russia. As for NATO, Zelensky considers Ukraineʼs accession to the Alliance a fair "payment" for the fact that the country gave up all its nuclear weapons in 1996. According to him, NATO membership is currently better than any weapons, including nuclear ones.
In September, Zelensky met with Donald Trump and presented him with a victory plan. According to the Ukrainian leader, the meeting was very meaningful.
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