Putin Announces India and China Cooperation on Northern Sea Route

President Vladimir Putin announced that India and China are actively discussing cooperation on the Northern Sea Route to develop trade and bypass Western sanctions. Speaking aboard the missile cruiser Varyag during a visit to Russia's Far East, Putin stated the Arctic route could reduce travel distance between East Asia and Europe by 40 percent, saving two weeks compared to the Suez Canal.

To advance these goals, the Russian government has instructed the state-owned conglomerate Rosatom to sign a memorandum with India regarding maritime cargo transportation. This follows the operationalization of the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor and the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support pact, which grants India access to Russian ports from Vladivostok to Murmansk.

Further integration includes talks between Indian shipyards to construct non-nuclear icebreaker ships for Arctic navigation. Russian Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Aleksey Chekunkov noted that the two nations have common opportunities to jointly develop container shipping and an ice-level fleet.