The possibility of joint Russian-American projects in the Arctic, Russia's position with its Arctic Council partners, and how Western media perceives these issues—the most prominent topics of discussion as of recent.
Following talks between Russia and the U.S. hosted on 18 February in Saudi Arabia, the topic of the Arctic emerged quite promptly due to a brief commentary by Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. "It was more of a general discussion—perhaps joint projects in the Arctic. We specifically discussed the Arctic," said Dmitriev in an interview with Politico. This immediately prompted questions about the Arctic during other events.
On 19 February, the State Duma (the lower chamber of the Russian parliament) held a "government hour" with the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who delivered a speech titled On the Priorities of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation.
When speaking about the Arctic, Lavrov reiterated Russia's position: "We are the largest Arctic power, we have the longest coastline, the most developed infrastructure, including the Northern Sea Route, which some countries in the Arctic Council view with envy. This is a fact that gives us a strong basis for promoting our position."
The topic of the Arctic Council also emerged, and the Foreign Minister highlighted that Russia is capable of developing the Arctic independently:
"As for the Arctic Council, no one has kicked us out. This is impossible to do. <…> It seems to me that the most important thing is to do your job, promote your plans, implement them, and let the rest observe the fact that we can develop our territory, our waters—not only territorial but also on the shelf—on our own. <…> Our position [in the Arctic Council] is very strong, and this is bolstered by the existence of treaties that regulate our relations with almost all our neighbours," said Lavrov.
We need to do our job so that our partners in the Arctic Council will have no other choice but to resume normal cooperation.
Also, read the recent commentary on this topic by The Arctic Century: Warming in International Relations in the Arctic.
During his speech, Lavrov also assured that China and India are interested in the development of the Northern Sea Route, adding that "[they] recognise our leading role in the Arctic, and we will definitely continue cooperation with these countries."
An interesting opinion emerged during the "government hour". According to Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs, the previous international relations system is changing, and the collective West 'is ceasing to be collective': "Today, the collective West, as we have called it for many years, with Trump's second term as President of the United States, is ceasing to be collective. The world is coming to the common sense of understanding that the new world architecture, the system of world politics and international relations, should be as it has been calling for all these years, starting with [Putin's] Munich speech in 2007…"
Western media sources primarily view the Arctic aspect of the talks as an extension of American influence or adopt a neutral, wait-and-see stance. APNews only cites U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who evaded any direct answers and stated that "incredible opportunities <…> on issues that hopefully will be good for the world and also improve our relations in the long term."
Politico reminds readers of the U.S. company ExxonMobil, which pulled out of the Russian Arctic in 2018, and highlights Trump's interest in Greenland, "who has refused to rule out using military force or economic coercion to seize control of the massive island with its vast mineral wealth and key strategic location." High North News also sees U.S. influence in this matter: "As is widely known, Republican U.S. President Donald J. Trump aims to expand U.S. influence in the Arctic. His latest move was directed at Greenland, seeking to take it from Denmark's hands, willingly or not, for a second time."
Sources: Duma, RIA, TASS, APNews, High North News, Politico
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