MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. The vessel traffic along the Northern Sea Route can become year-round in coming years, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday at a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Geographical Society.

"Navigation over the Northern Sea Route may be provided in all seasons in years to come, which is highly likely," the head of state said. "Russia is building the world's most powerful icebreaker fleet, including such giants as Lider, which no one has ever built before," Putin noted.

"Despite all the difficulties we face now at the international stage, the research of the Arctic and the attention to the Arctic remain unchanged," the Russian leader said. Climatic changes occurring worldwide at present are the most visible in the Arctic Region, which enhances the importance of such studies, Putin noted. Nobody is currently able to forecast consequences of climatic changes with full accuracy, the Russian president said. Economic development of the Arctic is another important factor, the head of state added.