Key Interests of China and India in the Arctic and Main Directions for Cooperation with Russia

The article analyzes Russia’s prospects for interaction with China and India in the Arctic. Simultaneously with the process of competition between great powers for the Arctic, the interest of non-Arctic countries in the region grows. In the face of attempts to contain Russia and isolate it in the Arctic Council, Moscow has intensified interaction with non-Arctic friendly countries to promote projects for the development of its Arctic zone. At the same time, the question arises in what format and in what directions to do so. This paper analyzes the positions of Russia, China and India in the Arctic in order to find the most realistic cooperation formats based on the national interests of states, taking into account the specifics and inclusiveness of the Arctic region. The main attention is paid to the policy documents of states on the Arctic and key events in the development of cooperation between countries in the Arctic. The study was conducted through the prism of the neorealism paradigm, since the main emphasis is on the national interests and the influence of the modern international political environment on their behavior. The authors came to the conclusion that scientific research is the most promising and the least problematic area of cooperation in the Arctic for all parties. The Arctic zone of Russia is a huge laboratory for non-Arctic countries where they can study climate processes. Cooperation in energy and logistics is developing unevenly between countries, but its relevance for all parties continues to grow. A format of informal cooperation is of the highest relevance to Russia – it is flexible and makes it possible to diversify foreign economic ties.