Tito, who spoke during a video link from the Russian part of the ISS, said computer problems suffered by the U.S. segment had slowed down the pace of work on the station.
"However, the American sector is at least 100 meters (330 feet) from the place where we are sitting right now where I spend most of my time and there is absolutely no way that my presence can interfere with their work," he said.
Tito, accompanied by two Russians -- Talgat Musabayev and Yuri Baturin -- flew to the ISS on April 28 and is expected to return to Earth on Sunday. He is believed to have paid up to $20 million for his flight.
Besides the visiting Soyuz team, a crew of two Americans and one Russian staff the ISS.
"Goldin said that he would bill Russia, but I also can bill anybody I want. So, what?"
Sergey Gorbunov, spokesman for Rosaviakosmos
Tito said he was involved in some routine work to give professional cosmonauts more time to carry out more sophisticated tasks. "Dennis is no nuisance," commander Talgat Musabayev said. "In fact, he is trying to help us."
"We have to explain to him some things which cannot be learned on Earth as we would do to any other novice cosmonaut," Musabayev added. "But basically Dennis has dealt smoothly with both crews."
Tensions over Tito's flight have seen relations between Russian and U.S. space officials sink to their lowest since 1999 when NASA accused Rosaviakosmos, the Russian space agency, of not taking its obligations to the ISS seriously.
On Thursday, Yuri Semenov, RSC Energia general designer and president, called
to scheduled ISS crew activities, "absolutely incompetent." Semenov also said he believes that two agreements signed in January 1998, one among all ISS partners and another between NASA and Rosaviakosmos, need to be reconsidered. "Russia won't let anybody impose[their]will on it," said Semenov.
Semenov made it clear that he does not see the large U.S. financial investment in the ISS program as reasonable justification for the U.S. taking the leadership role. "You can make a bolt for $2 and you can make the same bolt for 2 rubles," said Semenov. (One U.S. dollar equals about 28 rubles.)
Sergey Gorbunovs, spokesman for Rosaviakosmos said they were not concerned with rumblings from the Americans.
"Goldin said that he would bill Russia, but I also can bill anybody I want. So, what?" Gorbunov said on Friday. "So far nobody has addressed us with a formal claim or request to compensate the ISS for the loss caused by Tito. We pay attention only to official moves but not to emotional declarations."
Gorbunov added, "Even if we have to pay anything to U.S. side for Titos flight, this payment wont be made in cash but in the form of barter deals between NASA and Rosaviakosmos."
The Russian Mission Control Center in Korolyov has also refuted claims that the presence of the space tourist aboard the ISS has had a negative effect on the cosmonauts' work.
"Both programs (the main expedition and the visiting expedition, which includes Tito) are undamaged, scientific experiments are being implemented as well. As far as we know, the presence of Tito has had no influence on the programs of the main and visiting expeditions," said Viktor Blagov, deputy chief of the ISS flight in the Mission Control Center in the Moscow region said on Ekho Moskvy Radio on Thursday.
"Certainly, visiting expeditions somehow change the regime, no matter if they include Tito or not. Three men have come to the station, so it is necessary to do some planning," he remarked.
Blagov said he knew nothing about NASA's intention to demand compensation from Russia for the damage done to the ISS development program by the presence of Tito.
SPACE.com Moscow Contributing Correspondent Yuri Karash contributed to this report.
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