Cold Wave: relations between Russia and Norway in the deepest crisis in 80 years
Relations between Moscow and Oslo are experiencing the deepest crisis since the Second World War, the Russian Embassy in Norway told Izvestia. Despite this, cooperation remains in some sectors. The Joint Commission on Fisheries in the Barents Sea and related marine resource management formats remain one of the key mechanisms of interaction. However, this mechanism is also under great pressure. In July 2025, Oslo joined the EU sanctions and banned Norebo and Murman Seafood vessels from accessing Norwegian territorial waters and ports, as well as fishing in the country's economic zone. About the relations between the two countries and why joint fishing activities are so important for them — in the Izvestia article.
The state of relations between Russia and Norway
The Russian Federation and Norway are neighbors in the Arctic, but after 2022, relations between the two countries are actually frozen. Previous ties and industry contacts have been severely curtailed, and bilateral trade has fallen to a minimum amid sanctions.
— Russian-Norwegian relations are currently experiencing the deepest crisis since the end of World War II. Their dismantling was the result of the actions of the Norwegian authorities. The political dialogue, the connections of the Norwegian regions with the subjects of the Russian Federation have been terminated, and industry cooperation has been blocked. The sanctions have dealt a crushing blow to bilateral trade," Russian Ambassador to Norway Nikolai Korchunov told Izvestia.
Until 2022, trade between the two countries was fairly stable. In 2021, this figure was $2.2–2.4 billion. Norway imported metals, mineral oils and some petroleum products from Russia. In turn, Moscow received animal feed, machinery, equipment and fish from Oslo. According to the Central Statistical Bureau of Norway, Russia ranked 15th among the country's trading partners.
By the end of 2024, Norway purchased $238.7 million worth of goods from Russia, while exporting only $73.1 million. The main import item is fish, but LNG and aluminum also figure in the trade structure.
Previously, the countries cooperated not only in trade, but also in the humanitarian sphere. There was a special travel regime for residents of the border regions of the Russian Federation and Norway. Holders of a special permit could cross the border and stay in the border area of a neighboring country without a visa. In addition, the Russian Federation and Norway cooperated in a special structure — the Norwegian Barents Secretariat. He has funded about 200 joint projects between Moscow and Oslo in culture, sports, education and other fields. Student exchanges have been established between the Universities of Murmansk and Tromso.
Since 2022, the traditional balance between NATO deterrence and maintaining good-neighborly relations in Oslo's policy towards Moscow has shifted to the military-political side, Nikita Lipunov, a junior researcher at MGIMO, told Izvestia.
— While the active phase of the conflict in Ukraine is underway, it is impossible to talk about any positive changes here, since the Norwegian government's policy towards Russia directly depends on the broad military-political dynamics around Kiev. I believe that in any case, Oslo will continue to seek a balance between deterrence and maintaining good neighborliness," the expert noted.
Currently, separate formats of interaction remain between the countries: Moscow and Oslo cooperate at the level of fishing departments, as well as border and customs services, Korchunov said.
Joint Fishing Commission
The Joint Russian-Norwegian Fisheries Commission (RNC) has been in operation since 1976. It sets annual quotas for catching cod, haddock and other fish species in the Barents Sea. During the work of the commission, the parties exchanged data on the fish population, as well as conducted joint scientific programs.
— The fact that, despite the EU's protest, Norway nevertheless agreed on new quotas for 2026 and thus retained the fishing agreement with Russia, suggests that this is an important area of cooperation with its eastern neighbor. I believe that such cooperation will continue even in conditions of political turbulence," Nikita Lipunov believes.
As Nikolai Korchunov explained, the uniqueness of bilateral cooperation in this area lies in the fact that the Russian Federation and Norway jointly manage common fish stocks based on scientific recommendations. Fish migrate freely across the borders of economic zones, and if each country sets catch quotas independently, this will inevitably undermine the sustainability of the entire population.
— That is why the RNC continues its work even against the background of the aggravation of political relations. At the same time, cooperation in this area became noticeably more complicated after Oslo joined the EU sanctions against the Russian fishing companies Norebo and Murman Seafood in June 2025, as a result of which the vessels of these companies lost the opportunity to fish in the Norwegian economic zone," the ambassador noted.
On May 20, 2025, the EU Council included these two companies in the sanctions list as a "response to destabilizing activities." The European authorities considered that they were used for intelligence activities. Moscow has denied these accusations. However, on July 7, the Norwegian government joined the European sanctions.
Interaction on Svalbard
Another place on the map where the interests of Russia and Norway converge is the Svalbard Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. The Norwegians call it Svalbard. Moscow is present in the archipelago on the basis of a treaty dated 1920, according to which the participating states have the opportunity to conduct economic activities there, even though Svalbard is under Norwegian sovereignty.
In particular, the Russian company Arktikugol operates in the archipelago, which manages our settlements. According to media estimates, up to several hundred Russians live in Svalbard. The archipelago is an important factor for the Russian Federation in the development of the Arctic. Mining is carried out on it, and the location of Svalbard provides unique conditions for Moscow to conduct high-latitude scientific research. In 2016, there was even a Russian Scientific Center, which is preparing to open an International scientific and educational Center.
However, in the current situation, there is no need to talk about project cooperation with Norway and other parties to the agreement, Nikolai Korchunov emphasized.
"Contacts with the Norwegian side are purely pragmatic in nature and are mainly aimed at protecting the rights and interests of Russian citizens living in the archipelago, ensuring the activities of the Arktikugol Trust and the work of Russian scientific organizations," the ambassador noted.
In recent years, Arktikugol has been trying to diversify its profile in Svalbard, primarily by developing tourism, despite regulatory difficulties on the part of the Norwegian authorities. According to Nikita Lipunov, Russia intends to maintain and strengthen its presence in the archipelago, although overall relations between Moscow and Oslo remain in a difficult state.
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