India–Russia RELOS Pact Set to Boost Arctic Access Ahead of Putin’s Visit

Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's historic visit to India on December 4- 5 for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) between both the countries is back in the spotlight.

Signed earlier this year in Moscow by Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar and the then–Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin, the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) is designed to streamline military logistics support, joint operations and long-distance missions more efficient and cost-effective for both the countries.

India’s strategic reach in the rapidly evolving Arctic region is set to expand significantly with the signing of the RELOS agreement, a pact that deepens defence cooperation and provides New Delhi unprecedented access to Russia's critical northern ports.

A key highlight of the pact is the provision for enhanced, swift and simplified logistical access for Indian forces to Russian military facilities in the Arctic, a region emerging as a major arena of geopolitical competition among global powers.

The agreement also envisions future joint military exercises in the Arctic landscape, strengthening interoperability in extreme cold-weather operations.

India, which imports Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Russia’s Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia, is expected to benefit from smoother naval logistical support along these routes. With the Arctic gaining strategic and commercial value due to melting ice caps and new navigational pathways, facilitation of naval mobility in the region marks a significant upgrade in India’s strategic posture.

The Indian Navy’s Talwar-class frigates and platforms such as aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya are capable of operating in harsh, freezing conditions, and the RELOS pact will now enable these vessels to utilise Russian naval bases for refuelling, repairs and resupply. This support effectively strengthens India’s operational footprint in the northern high seas.

Beyond operational benefits, the pact reinforces the long-standing India–Russia defence partnership and contributes to shaping a balance of power in the Arctic, where major powers are vying for influence, resources and navigational control. The RELOS agreement is widely seen as a move that positions India more credibly in an increasingly contested strategic theatre.

According to Russia’s official news agency, TASS, the Russian government has submitted for ratification a Russian-Indian agreement on the procedure of mutual dispatch of personnel, warships and warplanes on each other’s territory to the Russian parliament’s lower chamber, the State Duma.

“The document, uploaded to the State Duma’s electronic database, ratifies an agreement between the government of the Russian Federation and the government of the Republic of India about the procedure of dispatching Russian military units, warships and warplanes and of dispatching the Republic of India’s military units, warships and warplanes on the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as on organizing their mutual technical and logistical support,” TASS reported.

An explanatory note to the document says that troops can be dispatched for joint drills and training sessions, humanitarian assistance, disaster response and in other cases, agreed by the sides. The Russian government believes that the ratification of the document will strengthen cooperation between Russia and India in the military sphere, the agency reported further.