In space, Russians and Americans remain 'dear friends'

US astronaut Mark Vande Hei is seen in a NASA handout picture after the landing of the Soyuz MS-19 space capsule from the International Sapce Station in a remote area of Kazakhstan on March 30, 2022.

WASHINGTON: After nearly a week back on Earth, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei said Tuesday the relationship between US astronauts and Russian cosmonauts remained positive while on board the International Space Station, despite their countries' animosity over Moscow's February invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

Vande Hei landed in Kazakhstan last Wednesday in a Russian capsule, along with cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov.