The White House pressured US space sector companies not to participate in the Space Summit organized by French President Emmanuel Macron, which will be held in Paris next week at the Grand Palais, bringing together more than 120 countries.
An official from the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House made on Thursday a private call with several companies, including SpaceX, Stoke Space, K2 Space, and Astra, during which they warned that participation in the event could be interpreted as tacit support for European Union policies.
According to sources familiar with the matter cited by Politico, the official said there was no coordination between France and the US on the summit, that the panels did not include the American perspective and could be harmful to US industry efforts, also describing France as having "anti-competitive practices." The White House stated that the decision would be up to the companies, but the message was interpreted as a call to boycott.
This pressure comes at a time of growing tension in relations between the United States and Europe, with pending issues related to tariffs, the deployment of American troops in the European region, and the war in Iran.
