The North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) plans to increase its presence in the Arctic in the future to confront Russia. This statement was made on August 28 by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with the newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
“We are seeing a significant increase in Russia’s military presence in the Arctic, [которая] is in the process of opening Soviet-era bases, deploying and testing new modern weapons there, such as hypersonic missiles <...> NATO should increase its presence in the Arctic,” the politician said.
In addition, Stoltenberg justified the actions of the alliance by the great strategic importance of the Arctic region. In his opinion, the Arctic is “the most important link between North America and Europe” and at the same time forms “the shortest distance between North America and Russia”, and also noted the growing importance of the region for shipping due to global warming and melting ice.
On August 26, Stoltenberg also spoke in favor of strengthening NATO’s presence in the Arctic. According to him, the allies in the alliance are concerned about the strengthening of cooperation between the Russian Federation and China in the Arctic, and the possibilities of the Russian Federation in the North allegedly pose a strategic challenge for NATO.
On May 14, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Grushko said that Russia rejects all accusations of the militarization of the Arctic. In addition, he noted that the Russian side does not underestimate the threat of militarization of this region, since NATO is ready for such a step.
At the same time, on April 17, Nikolai Korchunov, chairman of the committee of senior officials of the Arctic Council, said that Moscow was concerned about the increased military activity of NATO in the Arctic.
On February 16, military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia that the Arctic has always been considered one of the most important regions for Russia from a military point of view. In his opinion, the United States continues to consistently challenge the zones of Russian influence and invade them.
On July 31, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Russian Navy Doctrine on the Day of the Russian Navy. The document, in particular, notes that Russia will strengthen its leading position in the study and development of the maritime spaces of the Arctic.
#Stoltenberg #urged #strengthen #presence #NATO #Arctic #Russia