Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 27 that intensifying geopolitical competition in the Arctic is a “springboard for potential conflicts.”
“We are concerned about the fact that NATO countries are increasingly often designating the Far North as a springboard for possible conflicts and are practicing the use of troops in these conditions,” he said, adding that Russia’s neighbors Finland and Sweden have joined the alliance.
The Russian leader said that deposits of oil and gas, metals, and other minerals are being developed in the Russian Arctic.
Furthermore, cargo traffic along the Northern Sea Route—stretching from the Kara Gates Strait to the Bering Strait—has grown significantly, increasing from 4 million tonnes in 2014 to 38 million tonnes in 2024.
“Five times the Soviet-era record,” Putin said.
He said the role and importance of the Arctic for Russia and the world are “obviously growing.”
“Regrettably, the geopolitical competition and fighting for positions in this region are also escalating,” he said, adding that it is “obvious” that the United States will continue to “consistently advance its geo-strategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic.”
“But we will closely follow the developments and mount an appropriate response by increasing our military capability and modernizing military infrastructure.
“We will not tolerate any encroachments on our country’s sovereignty and will steadfastly safeguard our national interests.”
Putin also talked about the United States’ interest in Greenland.
Those resources have largely not been exploited in a nation economically reliant on fishing and subsidies from Denmark.
Putin pulled on a historical example to show that the United States has long considered plans to win control over Greenland.
U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward, who negotiated the Alaska purchase from the Russian Empire in 1867, had in the same year sought, unsuccessfully, to buy Iceland and Greenland.
On the possible U.S. plans to annex, Putin said: “It can surprise someone only at first glance.
“It is a profound mistake to treat it as some preposterous talk by the new U.S. administration. Nothing of the sort.”
He said that Moscow was open to broader international cooperation in the Arctic.
“The stronger our positions and the more substantial our achievements, the greater our opportunities will be to launch global international projects in the Arctic involving partner nations, friendly states, and perhaps even Western countries—provided, however, that they demonstrate a genuine interest in cooperative efforts,” he said.
European Force in Ukraine
The European Union has launched a massive project to build up its defense industry aimed at deterring Russia.The French leader, together with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has been driving an effort to build a “coalition of nations” willing to support the deployment of an armed force stationed in “certain strategic locations” in Ukraine once a peace deal with Russia is reached.
Macron said if there was “a generalized aggression against Ukrainian soil,” these armies would “be under attack.”
“Our soldiers, when they are engaged and deployed, are there to react and respond to the decisions of the commander in chief and, if they are in a conflict situation, to respond to it,” Macron said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on March 27 that such an intervention could lead to a direct military clash between Russia and NATO.
