Because of Russia’s activities
NATO aims for more presence in the Arctic
08/28/2022, 10:12 am
NATO is facing new challenges from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and not just in Europe. Secretary General Stoltenberg is concerned that Moscow is stepping up its activities in the Arctic. The western military alliance is already reacting to this.
In view of possible new threats from Russia, NATO wants to become more active in the Arctic in the future. “NATO must increase its presence in the Arctic,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Welt am Sonntag. The defense alliance is “already investing in maritime reconnaissance aircraft to get a clear picture of what’s going on in the far north. But we will continue to increase our efforts.”
For a long time, Russia has been pursuing a strategy of monopolizing the Arctic. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently said: “It has long been perfectly clear to everyone that this is our territory, this is our country.” According to Stoltenberg, Moscow has recently intensified its activities in the resource-rich region. “We are seeing a significant increase in Russia’s military presence in the Arctic,” said the NATO chief. Moscow is “in the process of reopening Soviet-era bases and stationing and testing new, state-of-the-art weapons such as hypersonic missiles there.”
China is also showing increasing interest in the Arctic. In 2018, the country declared itself to be a “near riparian” of the Arctic and is striving to build a “polar silk road” in order to reach shorter sea routes to Europe.
“Strategic Challenge”
From Stoltenberg’s point of view, the Arctic is of “great strategic importance” for NATO. The North Pole region is “the crucial connection between North America and Europe” and at the same time forms “the shortest distance between North America and Russia”. In addition, the Arctic is becoming increasingly important for shipping as a result of global warming and melting ice.
Just a few days ago, Stoltenberg described the Russian military presence in the Arctic as a strategic challenge for the western alliance when he traveled to the Canadian part of the Arctic for the first time together with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. NATO needs a strong presence in the region, the NATO chief said on this occasion.