U.S. calls Russian plan to quit International Space Station 'unfortunate'

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday said it was taken by surprise by Russia's announcement that it plans to pull out of the International Space Station and called it an "unfortunate development." "I understand that we were taken by surprise by the public statement that went out," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told a regular news briefing.

"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 spaceflight cooperation," Price said.