Frostbitten: The West has blocked all channels of communication with the Russian Federation in the Arctic

Peaceful instruments of cooperation in the Arctic have been deliberately destroyed by Western countries, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Izvestia. According to him, the severance of ties is being used to militarize the region and turn it into an arena of direct confrontation. On February 12, in Brussels, NATO defense ministers discussed the implementation of the Arctic Sentry mission, launched a day earlier. But the increased military presence in the region is not only an attempt to contain Moscow and Beijing, but also the desire of the Europeans to protect Greenland from the claims of the head of the White House.

The Arctic is becoming an arena of confrontation

The peaceful architecture of the Arctic region, built over decades, is being dismantled. Western countries are negating many years of experience in constructive cooperation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Izvestia.

— All peaceful instruments of cooperation are being purposefully destroyed, and the work of the Arctic Council, which was the main international platform for managing the situation in the Arctic and establishing cooperation, has actually been blocked. It is in this region that international cooperation is more in demand than ever," stressed Grushko.

Photo: Global Look Press/Cpl. Brennon Taylor

According to the diplomat, the Northern Dimension program was also under attack — cooperation between the Russian Federation, the European Union, Norway and Iceland was carried out along this line. The program allowed the parties to implement projects in various fields: from peaceful development of territories and environmental protection to transport partnership and cultural exchange.

— All this was artificially destroyed in order to demonize Russia and militarize the region, Alexander Grushko noted. — Suddenly they all started talking about the fact that the Arctic is not a zone of low tension. Now it has also been declared an arena of confrontation, where they — I mean NATO and the European Union — want to confront not only Russia, which is allegedly militarizing this region, but also China.

The situation around Greenland has now come to the fore, although until recently no one had talked about any threats to the island's security. On February 12, a meeting of NATO defense ministers ended in Brussels, the central theme of which was the sharp strengthening of the alliance's position in the North. To achieve its objectives, NATO launched Operation Arctic Sentry on February 11. As the commander of the US European Command, General Alexus Grinkevich, explained, the mission will allow "using the power of NATO" to ensure the security of the region in the face of new challenges.

Photo: Global Look Press/IMAGO/Janine Schmitz

It is important to understand that Arctic Sentry is not a one—time exercise, but a transition to a permanent format of "enhanced vigilance." NATO assumes the role of central coordinator: intelligence sharing, patrols, and all major allied maneuvers in the region fall under the "one umbrella" of planning. This also includes the Danish Arctic Resilience exercise series, which is centered around Greenland. At the same time, the head of NATO, Mark Rutte, announced the possibility of transferring thousands of troops to the island, but it remained unclear whether this was related to the operation. The main goal of the mission, according to the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, is to prevent Russia and China from gaining access to Greenland and its economy. Although Moscow and Beijing have previously stressed that they have no claims to this island.

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US claims to Greenland

Even in Greenland itself, attention has been repeatedly drawn to the absence of foreign military vessels near its shores, meaning that Nuuk does not feel any threat from either the Russian Federation or the PRC. Nevertheless, Washington insists that Greenland is a critical point of control of routes in the North Atlantic and a necessary "buffer" to deter Moscow and Beijing, as well as a valuable resource base. After returning to the White House, Donald Trump set out to acquire the island, while initially admitting that this could be done by any means, that is, even by force.

Photo: REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

Amid transatlantic tensions and uncertainty between the United States and other NATO members, the alliance's leading European forces, such as France, are seeking to increase their symbolic military presence in Greenland. On the one hand, playing along with Trump, who claims that Russia and China allegedly threaten the island's security and therefore it must be protected, Nikita Lipunov, a junior researcher at MGIMO, explained to Izvestia.

— At the same time, the real motivation of the Europeans here will be to restrain their main ally from possible military actions and a forceful solution to the Greenland issue. The Europeans are eager to show Trump that they are really ready to invest in Greenland's defense. At the same time, the increased military presence will signal the inadmissibility of the use of force against an ally," the expert stressed.

Now, it seems, the military scenario is no longer being seriously considered in Washington. The United States, together with Denmark and Greenland, has set up a working group to discuss the parameters of future agreements. According to Washington, the "deal" should give the United States full access to Greenland, and should also involve the deployment of elements of the Golden Dome missile defense system and provide Americans with expanded access to critically important minerals.

US President Donald Trump

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The potential expansion of the US military presence, namely its missile defense component, creates long-term risks to regional and global security, Lipunov stressed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently warned that in the event of the militarization of Greenland and the creation of military capabilities there against Russia, Moscow would take "adequate countermeasures."