spoke out on April 17 about NATO’s increased presence in the Arctic since the war in Ukraine began. He said long-planned military drills between NATO, Finland and Sweden in the region in March were “a cause for concern” for Russia.
All the members of the Arctic Council aside from Russia announced in
March they would boycott talks in Russia, currently chairing the
Atlantic Council until 2023, due to its “flagrant violation” of
Ukraine’s sovereignty. As such, the group’s work has been put on hold.“It’s
very unusual,” Garson says. The Arctic Council has survived periods of
tension, but what we're seeing in the Ukraine is a huge turning point
in history.
Russia has been increasing its military presence in the far north.
The most obvious example of this is its Arctic navy, the Northern Fleet,
established in 2014 and based on the Kola Peninsula near the border
with Finland and Norway.Its arsenal includes submarines armed
with nuclear-powered missiles, anti-submarine aircraft, aircraft
carriers and ships armed with missiles, among others.
The current war in Ukraine has raised the stakes once again. If Sweden
and Finland join NATO – as both are seriously considering doing – all
the Arctic states except Russia will be part of the military alliance." France24
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