# India confirms Northern Sea Route talks with Russia 2026-08-15T03:55:43+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets India and Russia are discussing cooperation on the Northern Sea Route (NSR), the Arctic corridor Moscow wants to turn into a major Europe-Asia trade link, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Friday. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said connectivity is an important part of India's "multi-faceted cooperation" with Russia and that talks on the NSR are ongoing. Russian President Vladimir Putin has identified India and China as key partners for the route, which cuts shipping time between China and Europe by about half compared to the Suez Canal. Chinese firm Sea Legend began the first regular container service on the NSR on Saturday, running between Ningbo and Felixstowe for a seven-week season. However, major shipping companies such as CMA CGM, MSC and Hapag-Lloyd have pledged to avoid Arctic trans-shipment routes citing environmental risks. Analysts say the NSR is an important future trade corridor but cannot yet rival the Strait of Hormuz. ## Coverage - timesnownews.com - livemint.com Tags: India, Northern Sea Route, Randhir Jaiswal, Russia, Vladimir Putin Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mea-confirms-discussions-on-russias-northern-sea-route/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mea-confirms-discussions-on-russias-northern-sea-route/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.