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Russia is “fully ready” for a conflict with NATO in the Arctic, the country’s foreign minister warned.
“We see NATO stepping up drills related to possible crises in the Arctic,” Sergey Lavrov said, according to Russian state media, in comments for a documentary series that were first reported Friday.
“Our country is fully ready to defend its interests militarily, politically and from the standpoint of defense technologies,” he added.
His comments mark the latest round of saber-rattling by the Kremlin, which has repeatedly … threatened … to … unleash … nuclear … war on NATO and its allies in recent years.
The Arctic is the northernmost point on Earth and includes territory belonging to eight nations: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Canada, the United States, Iceland and Russia. All except Russia are NATO members.
Finland joined NATO in April last year in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Sweden followed suit in March this year, becoming the alliance’s 31st and 32nd members, respectively.
Even so, Lavrov warned that “the Arctic is not the territory of the North Atlantic alliance,” and said other, non-Arctic countries, such as China and India, hold interests there.
One of Moscow’s top diplomats said last year that Finland would be “the first to suffer” if war broke out between NATO and Russia.
In February, Russia also suspended annual payments to the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum of Arctic nations, after the other members boycotted Moscow’s participation following its invasion of Ukraine, though some cooperation has since resumed.
Russia’s declaration of readiness highlights the need for NATO and other stakeholders to reassess their strategies in the Arctic region. Open communication could help mitigate potential conflicts.