India is set to enter a new phase of maritime cooperation with Russia after Moscow’s lower house, the Duma, ratified the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) agreement just a day before President Vladimir Putin landed in New Delhi on 4 December.
The agreement is expected to finally give India access to the Arctic, a fast-changing region that could transform global shipping routes in the coming years.
For more than ten years, Indian and Russian officials have been discussing ways to work together in the Arctic as melting ice caps open new maritime possibilities.
Russia has been promoting the Northern Sea Route (NSR) as an alternative commercial highway that bypasses traditional choke points such as the Suez Canal. Moscow has made it clear that it wants India as a partner on this route.
Recent geopolitical conflicts have disrupted global shipping, raising insurance costs and exposing vulnerabilities in India’s supply chains.
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