Acting Nasa chief to hold talks with Russian counterpart on space issues this week

US Transport Secretary and interim head of Nasa Sean Duffy said on Tuesday he is looking to find common ground with Russia on space issues when he meets his Russian counterpart later this week.

Russian news agencies reported earlier this week that Duffy is set to hold talks with the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov, for the first in-person meeting at the agencies’ heads’ level since 2018.

“We have wild disagreement with the Russians on Ukraine,” Duffy told reporters after an event on Capitol Hill, while noting that the United States has a partnership with Russia on the International Space Station.

“We’re going to continue to build alliances and partnerships and friendships as humanity continues to advance in space exploration.”

US President Donald Trump named Duffy as Nasa’s interim head earlier this month. Duffy has emphasised that this is a temporary assignment.

“We find points of agreement, points of partnership, which is what we have with the International Space Station and the Russians,” Duffy said. “Through hard times, we don’t throw those relationships away.”