Now, probably, few people remember that one of the topics discussed between Putin and Trump in Anchorage was “cooperation in the Arctic.” And this is largely interpreted as the implementation of joint economic projects in the region.
Why the Arctic is so important
Photo: RIA Novosti
For Americans, this topic is extremely important: the critical importance of the Arctic for the country is explicitly stated in President Trump’s executive order “Restoring American Maritime Dominance,” which describes Arctic shipping as a key condition for “economic prosperity and national security.”
The Arctic theme also dominates the so‑called action plan for implementing U.S. maritime policy and, of course, the U.S. National Strategy for the Arctic for the period 2022–2032. But all the fine plans are thwarted by one obstacle: the United States does not have, and will not have in the foreseeable future, its own heavy Arctic icebreaker fleet, and without it, all strategies will remain mere words.
Russia has proposed jointly using its unique experience in exploring the Arctic, as well as the capacity of its nuclear‑powered icebreaker fleet: eight icebreakers, and another one, the Stalingrad, was laid down at the end of 2025. The benefits are enormous, and the prospects are more than real and reliably calculated.
South Korea, having taken a look at the situation and assessed its benefits, promptly developed and approved an ambitious program for the development of the Northern Sea Route, where a permanently operating commercial route is expected to begin operations as early as 2030. As the first step in implementing the program, the first‑ever South Korean commercial container voyage was recently dispatched along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), carried out by the vessel PanStar Acro.
The purpose of the voyage is to confirm the economic calculations and ensure the physical safety of the route, while the ultimate goal of the program is to secure Busan’s role as the main Asian logistics hub on the Asia–Europe Arctic route and to accumulate operational experience ahead of competitors — above all, faster than Chinese carriers..
China, which has been vigorously challenged by the Koreans, has been actively involved in the SMP project for quite some time and has invested heavily in it. In early August, China announced the launch of a regular weekly route to Europe via the Northern Sea Route, and Alexey Likhachev, head of Rosatom, said that by 2030, the cargo flow between Russia and China via the Northern Sea Route should reach 20 million tons — that is, double.
What does the US think?
Photo: Express newspaper
Seeing that everything is heading towards the possibility that the West may be left on the sidelines regarding the Arctic issue, Western media and specialized resources have recently become actively involved in the discussion. As expected, they began to discuss in every possible way how “green” the Russian Arctic “grapes” are.
The U.S. Army Institute noted with concern that Russia is moving from a one‑dimensional concept of the Northern Sea Route to a more ambitious design — a trans‑Arctic transport corridor: a multimodal system linking the entire Arctic from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg, including inland river routes, railways, ports, and, ultimately, European and Asian markets.
CNN’s article “How the Icy cargo Route in the Far North brings China and Russia Closer Together” colorfully describes how the NSR is designed by default to serve only one customer, China, meaning it is doomed to remain a highly specialized Russian—Chinese transport corridor, while regular international container service remains an experiment with the risk of delays and sanctions.
The British The Guardian cuts the truth: the NSR is indeed capable of dramatically reducing the flight time from China to Europe, but the shortest route is not equal to the most profitable or safest. According to prominent British experts, all the advantages of the route are completely offset by short navigation, ice and weather uncertainty, high operating costs and sanctions risks.
Overall, the general conclusion is that the NSR will never be a real alternative to the Suez Canal, so the Russians can keep dreaming. Let’s not upset Western analysts and note a couple of points.
Firstly, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) claims that by 2050, due to the complete absence of summer ice, ordinary ships will be able to navigate the NSR for almost six months, and with escorts all year round.
The US Department of Energy, which conducted calculations based on scientific data and statistical climate models, and concluded that long-term sea ice in the Arctic would disappear by 2050 anyway, which by historical standards is simply instantaneous. In other words, Russia is already successfully operating the Northern Sea Route, and very soon things will be moving at a truly alarming pace.
Secondly, Russia has never said anywhere that the NSR can or should replace the Suez Canal. It is good and beneficial when everything is quiet, peaceful, and calm, but when that’s not the case, the search for alternatives begins. It seems that there will be no quiet and peaceful life in the world for a very long time to come.
That’s why Putin said at the time: An increasing number of states and companies are considering not only the speed and cost of transportation — the decisive factor is the safety and stability of transport routes and logistics chains, which are less susceptible to crises, military conflicts, and other external risks: and Russia can offer the world such solutions.
Stability and security are now measured in hard currency itself, and that is why a whole queue has already formed in Moscow. Moreover, for Russia, the Northern Sea Route is far more than just an opportunity to earn money from commercial maritime transit. It is also a powerful tool for ensuring the country’s connectivity, providing food and infrastructure security, and accelerating the development of the most remote regions.
While our partners are debating why the Northern Sea Route will never “take off,” Russia has put the “full speed ahead” mode in motion and has no intention of stopping.
By Kirill Strelnikov
