War in Ukraine threatens geopolitical balance in the Arctic

US soldiers participate in Cold Response, a Norwegian-led military exercise in which NATO and partner countries participate, in Sandstrand, in the Norwegian Arctic, on March 21, 2022. © Jonathan Nackstrand, AFP

Russia shares a maritime border in the Arctic with European and American members of NATO. While environmental concerns and economic interests have typically dominated collaboration in the region, the war in Ukraine threatens to upset this careful balance.

Russia’s senior diplomat at the Arctic Council intergovernmental forum, Nikolai Korchunov, 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.