Peace in exchange for space: how Trump can force Putin to stop the war
Kyiv • UNN
Russia is losing ground in the space industry due to sanctions and the war in Ukraine. Trump could use this as leverage by offering Putin participation in the Artemis program in exchange for an end to the war.
russia has ambitions to develop its space program, but its capabilities are severely limited by sanctions and the war in Ukraine. Donald trump can use this as a chance for negotiations by offering Putin participation in the international space program in exchange for peace.
This was reported by The Hill , UNNand UNN .
Details
Russia is planning to create a new orbital station to replace its segment on the International Space Station after its operation is completed around 2030. In addition, Moscow is cooperating with China on a project to create a lunar base, which is planned to have a nuclear reactor to provide energy.
As noted in a recent study by the Foreign Policy Research Institute, the implementation of these plans is questionable.
Scientists have identified a number of factors that make the stable development of the Russian space industry virtually impossible. These include international sanctions, an embargo on the supply of high-tech industrial equipment, a shortage of qualified personnel, limited financial resources that are dispersed among too many projects, a breakdown in space cooperation with Western countries (with the exception of work on the ISS), and the overall inefficiency of the Russian space industry.
According to researchers, the current decline of Russia's space program began in 2014, when Putin annexed Crimea, and the situation only worsened after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In reality, however, the problems of Russian space exploration go back even further. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was never able to regain its former power in space. Some believe that the beginning of the decline can be traced back to 1966, after the death of Sergei Korolev, the legendary designer of the Soviet space program, who, ironically, was a Ukrainian. His death due to a botched operation was one of the factors that led the USSR to lose the race to the moon landing in 1969.
Another telling indication of stagnation was the recent achievement of the Russians: they launched the 2000th missile of the R-7 family. This carrier was created under Korolev and became the first Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile. It launched the first artificial Earth satellite in 1957 and Yuri Gagarin in 1961. Since then, Russia has hardly changed the basic design and continues to use variations of it.
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Meanwhile, the United States is actively developing its own space projects. Companies such as SpaceX and Rocket Lab have made launches more affordable, and Blue Origin is testing a new heavy rocket, the New Glenn. SpaceX's Starship super-heavy rocket is also under development.
Russia had a chance to regain some of its former glory through cooperation with NASA. Sharing the ISS was beneficial for both sides: The United States received an argument for funding the station, and the Russians were able to keep their astronauts in space after the Mir station was closed.
However, Moscow has chosen a different path. Instead of participating in the ambitious American Artemis program, which involves returning humans to the moon and potentially going to Mars, Putin decided to invest resources in the war against Ukraine. As a result, Moscow spends billions of dollars on military operations rather than on the development of science and technology.
In addition, many talented engineers and scientists are fleeing Russia for fear of mobilization and reprisals. The sanctions are likely to only intensify after Donald Trump's possible return to the White House, which will further hit the Russian tech sector.
If Trump is truly intent on ending the war in Ukraine, he could use the space program as a bargaining chip. One possible option is to offer Putin participation in the Artemis program in exchange for an end to the war.
Trump could remind the Kremlin that Russia has been able to remain a space power only through cooperation with the West. Without U.S. support, it risks losing its competitiveness in space entirely. If Moscow agrees to peace, it will gain access to American technology, the ability to send its astronauts to the moon, and cooperation with companies such as SpaceX.
Another condition would be the signing of the Artemis Accords, an international agreement that defines the principles of peaceful space exploration and commercial use. In this case, Russia would be forced to break off cooperation with China, which would leave Beijing in space isolation.
Thus, Putin would face a clear choice: war and further decline in the economy, technology, and space industry, or peace and prosperity through renewed cooperation with the West.
At the same time, it is not known whether Moscow will go through with the deal. However, given the current crisis in the Russian space industry, this scenario looks much more realistic than Russia's attempts to implement its space plans on its own.
Recall
NASA's Parker solar probe has successfully completed a mission near the Sun without human intervention. Scientists are discussing the possibility of replacing astronauts with robots and AI in future space exploration.
