Russia’s Putin eyes Arctic cooperation despite geopolitical tensions

Vladimir Putin says US President Donald Trump’s stated intention to acquire Greenland was ‘serious’.

Geopolitical rivalries are intensifying in the Arctic, but Russia is willing to cooperate with foreign partners, including from the West, in economic ventures there that will benefit all sides, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

In a major speech on Thursday, Putin said US President Donald Trump’s stated intention to acquire Greenland was “serious”, and it was clear that the US would continue to promote its interests in the Arctic. The Greenland question had nothing to do with Russia, he said.

But Moscow was concerned that “NATO countries in general are increasingly designating the far north as a springboard for possible conflicts, practising the use of troops in these conditions, including by their ‘new recruits’, Finland and Sweden,” he said, referring to the alliance’s newest members.

Russia was monitoring the situation and building a response, including by boosting its military capabilities in the region. “We will not allow encroachments on the sovereignty of our country and will reliably protect our national interests,” Putin said.

Reporting from Moscow, Yulia Shapovalova said the Russian president’s priority is developing the region’s infrastructure to improve people’s living condition and to get better access to the natural resources of the Arctic.