Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that several partner countries, including India and China, are showing growing interest in engaging with the Northern Sea Route (NSR) amid Western sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict.
The NSR is a crucial shipping route that runs along Russia’s northern coast through the Arctic Ocean. It offers a potentially shorter maritime link between Europe and Asia compared with traditional routes such as the Suez Canal.
Speaking at a meeting with Pacific Fleet personnel aboard the missile cruiser Varyag, Putin stressed that Russia’s cooperation on the NSR would remain within the framework of international maritime law.
“Although Russia has consistently voiced, and continues to reaffirm, its readiness to cooperate and leverage the advantages of the Northern Sea Route, strictly within the bounds of existing international maritime law,” he said.
Putin claimed that Russia was seeing growing interest from countries seeking to participate in NSR-related cooperation.
“We see growing interest from countries wishing to engage with us on this front. These partners include, above all, our friends China, India, and other nations who are actively discussing these matters with us,” he said.
The Russian president also warned of rising “artificial tensions” in the Arctic, pointing to what he described as increased activity by external actors, including NATO expansion.
Meanwhile, Putin warned that Moscow could retaliate if European countries confiscate Russian merchant vessels amid growing European Union pressure on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
Shadow fleet is a network of oil tankers and other vessels used to transport Russian oil and petroleum products while reducing the impact of Western sanctions. These vessels use complex ownership structures and frequent changes of registration and flag that will make it difficult to identify the true owner.
Putin said any seizure of Russian vessels would amount to “piracy and banditry” and warned Russia would be “forced to respond in kind” if such measures were implemented.
Putin further cautioned that any Russian response would not necessarily be limited to the maritime areas where Russian vessels might be detained.
