Russia will defend its Arctic from NATO – Lavrov

Russia will protect its Arctic interests against NATO's expansionist ambitions that extend far beyond Europe and the Atlantic, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

In an interview for the documentary ‘The Soviet Breakthrough’ released on Thursday, Lavrov said that while all members of the Arctic Council claim that there is not a single problem in the region that would require a military presence there, in reality the situation is different.

In practice, NATO members are increasingly starting “to turn their eyes to the Arctic and declare that due to its geographical location the North Atlantic Alliance also has interests there,” the foreign minister said, adding that talk about NATO being a defensive bloc concerned only with its security is not sincere.

Lavrov stressed that the Arctic does not belong to NATO, and that after incorporating almost all of Europe, it now has its sights set on countries far beyond the region.

This desire for globalization and self-legitimization, to assert itself as a world policeman… is also extending to the Arctic region. We see how NATO is stepping up exercises related to possible crises in the Arctic. Our country is fully prepared to defend its interests in military, political and military-technical terms.

Nevertheless, Lavrov said, despite the current standoff between Russia and the West, Moscow has been able to negotiate on regional issues with the Arctic Council, a group that promotes regional cooperation and includes Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States, in addition to Russia.

He recalled that the Council adopted a joint statement that emphasizes the need to preserve the Arctic as an area of peace, stability and cooperation. “It was already an achievement that such words were spoken in today’s climate,” Lavrov remarked.

However, the minister recalled that while until recently most countries were following the relevant regulations when seeking to expand their claims on the continental shelf, the US seemed to have deviated from this practice.

“A few months ago, the US announced that it was expanding the boundaries of its continental shelf and was not going to submit any applications. This is yet another attempt to show that they are ‘above’ everyone else, that they are a hegemon,” Lavrov said, adding that no other country approved of such an approach.