An Italian astronaut joined a Russian cosmonaut in a rare spacewalking show of unity Thursday, as tensions over Ukraine continued to ricochet back home. Italy’s Samantha Cristoforetti teamed up with Russia’s Oleg Artemyev to work on the International Space Station’s newest robot arm. The 37-foot (11-meter) mechanical limb — contributed by the European Space Agency — rocketed into orbit with a Russian lab last July.

The Russian Space Agency’s recently replaced chief, Dmitry Rogozin, threatened to halt the installation work last week, putting the spacewalk in question. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Feburary, Europe pulled out of its collaboration with Russia on a mission to Mars.