Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed students at Bauman State Technical University on April 16, offering a wide-ranging reflection on space exploration, past and future. From revived BRICS cooperation to the legacy of Apollo-Soyuz, Putin painted an ambitious picture of Russia’s role in the next phase of space development.
On international collaboration, Putin noted that while European space partnerships have been frozen, “we continue to cooperate with the Americans in space” and now have “big plans with China and BRICS.” He added that despite Europe freezing relations, Russian instruments are still active in European space missions.
Recalling the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz docking, Putin highlighted its symbolic timing: It occurred “over the Elbe. Exactly 30 years earlier, Soviet and American troops met there, delivering the final blow to Nazi Germany. And exactly 30 years later, in 1975, the Apollo and Soyuz docked right over the Elbe.”
