Geopolitical rivalries are intensifying in the Arctic, but Russia is willing to cooperate with foreign partners, including from the West, in economic ventures there that will benefit all sides, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
In a major speech on Thursday, Putin said US President Donald Trump’s stated intention to acquire Greenland was “serious”, and it was clear that the US would continue to promote its interests in the Arctic. The Greenland question had nothing to do with Russia, he said.
But Moscow was concerned that “NATO countries in general are increasingly designating the far north as a springboard for possible conflicts, practising the use of troops in these conditions, including by their ‘new recruits’, Finland and Sweden,” he said, referring to the alliance’s newest members.
Russia was monitoring the situation and building a response, including by boosting its military capabilities in the region. “We will not allow encroachments on the sovereignty of our country and will reliably protect our national interests,” Putin said.
Reporting from Moscow, Yulia Shapovalova said the Russian president’s priority is developing the region’s infrastructure to improve people’s living condition and to get better access to the natural resources of the Arctic.
“Putin sees many prospects for further development of the region – the most important direction is the strengthening of transport and logistics in the Arctic,” she said.
“Russia is also keen to develop the Northern Sea Route, which is the shortest shipping route connecting western Eurasia with the Asia Pacific region – but the country is not going to go it alone. It’s ready to cooperate, ready for prospects in the Arctic,” Shapovalova said.
Focus on the Arctic’s strategic importance for mining, shipping and security has increased sharply because of repeated statements by Trump that he wants to acquire Greenland. He has not ruled out doing so by force.
The Arctic holds fossil fuels and minerals beneath the land and the seabed that could become more accessible with global warming. It is also an area of military competition, where defence analysts say Russia has built up its presence much faster than the West by reopening Soviet-era bases and modernising its navy.
The US sees the Arctic as crucial for national security, including for its early warning system against nuclear attacks.
The Kremlin says the Arctic is a zone of Russian strategic interest, and suggested in February that Russia and the US could work together to develop natural resources there as the two countries pursue a fast-moving rapprochement that has unnerved Ukraine and its European allies.
