British astronaut Tim Peake, feared that a potential breakdown between the UK and Russia could have left him stranded on the International Space Station (ISS).
Peake travelled to space last December aboard a Russian rocket, the Soyuz FG, in order to carry out research on the ISS for a duration of six months. Concerns emerged after increasing anti-Russian attitudes within the Commons which led Peake to fear Putin would abandon the use of the rocket for him to safely return to Earth after the mission, according to International Business Times.
However, UK Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood amid a UK-Russian relation debate, stated that Putin had assured him that he would not cut Peake loose and leave him stranded.
“I had the opportunity to meet President Putin at the Baku Azerbaijan Games last year and wasn’t quite expecting to see him, I have to say. But I did say to him that a friend of mine had cause to use Russian transport and was a bit concerned about international developments – the East and West – and he might get stuck at the end of his destination and not be able to get back.”
“Mr Putin grabbed my arm and said, ‘Mr Ellwood, tell Mr Peake we will not abandon him'”.
The cause for concern came after past conflicts have had an impact on astronauts residing in space. Russian cosmonaut and mechanical engineer, Sergei Krikalev was abandoned in 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union and didn’t return to Earth until 10 months later.
Peake is currently conducting experiments into new technologies aimed to help future human exploration missions and is the first British European Space Agency astronaut to visit the space station.