U.S. wants to ‘avoid a militarisation’ of the Arctic: Blinken

As climate change makes the Arctic more accessible, interest in the region’s natural resources, its navigation routes and its strategic position has grown among countries bordering the Arctic as well as China.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Washington wanted to avoid a military build-up in the Arctic, a day after Russia defended its military activities in the strategic region. “We have concerns about some of the increased military activities in the Arctic. That increases the dangers or prospects of accidents... and undermines the shared goal of a peaceful and sustainable future for the region,” Mr. Blinken told a press conference in Reykjavik. “What we need to avoid is a militarisation of the region,” Mr. Blinken said on the eve of an Arctic Council meeting of Foreign Ministers on Wednesday and Thursday where he will meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.