Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has urged countries to draw lessons from cooperation aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and resolve their differences peacefully.

He said astronauts of different nationalities depended on one another in space and settled disagreements through dialogue and mutual understanding.

Mr Kononenko, who heads the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre and commands the Roscosmos Cosmonaut Corps, made the remarks during an engagement with participants of the 2026 International Festival of Youth in Ekaterinburg, Russia on Saturday, September 12.

“Every person and every state has its own priorities. Every country tries to ensure that it is the one developing, that its technology is better and that it dominates in some technical or humanitarian field,” he said.

“But when we work on the ISS, we are all dependent on one another. When we discuss an issue, we listen to each other.”

He said disagreements among astronauts were resolved peacefully through mutual agreement, demonstrating that countries could cooperate despite their differences.

“That example of our cooperation and our life in space is something worth bringing back down to Earth,” he added.

During the interaction, Mr Kononenko responded to questions about becoming a cosmonaut, adjusting to weightlessness and the future of space exploration.

He told the participants that aspiring cosmonauts must undergo selection before turning 35 and stressed the importance of education, perseverance and patience.

Mr Kononenko said his childhood ambition to travel into space influenced his education at a physics and technology school, his training at an aviation institute and his eventual employment as an engineer.

“I have always wished to become a cosmonaut, and it is this aspiration that determined the entirety of my subsequent path,” he said.

He waited nine years after being selected into the cosmonaut corps before undertaking his first flight.

According to him, the profession requires considerable discipline and hard work despite the romantic image often associated with space travel.

“Space is not really about romance—it is about hard work,” he said.

Reflecting on his first mission, Mr Kononenko said he was overwhelmed by excitement and could barely remember the spacecraft’s journey into orbit.

He said his subsequent flights allowed him to appreciate the experience better, including the smooth launch of the Soyuz spacecraft.

Mr Kononenko also recalled being struck by the amount of water covering the Earth and the thin atmospheric layer separating the planet from space.

One of his most memorable experiences was witnessing what appeared to be a volcanic eruption in Russia’s Kamchatka region during a spacewalk with fellow cosmonaut Nikolai Chub.

On the future of space exploration, he projected that Russia could establish an independent orbital station in the early 2030s.

He said the proposed station could create opportunities for cosmonauts from former Soviet republics, adding that Roscosmos remained open to international cooperation.

Mr Kononenko also described the Moon as an essential testing ground for technologies required for future missions to Mars and other planets.

“We are not going to fly to Mars without preparation. Learning how to choose a landing site, build shelter and protection, and master arriving, landing and taking off—all of that will happen on the Moon first,” he said.

The International Festival of Youth is being held in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 17, 2026, under the motto “Follow Your Dream”.

It has brought together 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries, including 5,000 Russians and 5,000 international participants.