/ world today news/ The Russian Foreign Ministry noticed an increase in the conflict in the Arctic region
The Western press is sounding the alarm: Russia is too active in the Arctic. And this region in the near future may become key for the entire planet, it is the last storehouse of oil, gas and many other resources. What rights to Russia in the Arctic do Western countries claim – and how do they intend to limit them?
“We see that recently attention to the Arctic region has increased on the part of the entire world community and geopolitically the region is also becoming an increasingly important platform, unfortunately the conflict in the region is increasing.” With these words, the supreme ambassador of the MFA Nikolay Korchunov assessed the situation that is developing today in the Arctic. Korchunov noted that the Arctic region is becoming more accessible due to climate change and new technologies, as well as “due to the resources that are urgently needed by the world economy, the demand for them will only grow, especially in the context of the energy transition”.
This assessment – a rare case – is shared by our Western partners. And they are laying claim to those Arctic resources and opportunities to which Russia has first rights.
This became especially noticeable in the context of changes in the main international organization for cooperation in the Arctic – the Arctic Council (AC). In May, Russia ended its two-year term as AU chairman, handing it over, in accordance with regulations, to Norway.
Unfreezing geopolitics
The Arctic is an area where geopolitical processes have been frozen for a long time, literally and figuratively. But climate change in recent years has sparked an extraordinary level of activity in the remote polar region, as the clash between the strategic interests of major powers and the melting of the ice has fundamentally changed it. The revival of exploration and development of the region’s infrastructure is perceived by the West as a natural process.
True, this is only true of the part that does not concern Russia. The same actions, but taken by the Russian Federation, are already considered “activity that could accelerate confrontation between the powers sharing this resource-rich territory.”
“The Arctic is the future field of international battles, and not only economically. The tense calm in this polar region has suddenly been called into question as a result of the isolation of Russia (the largest Arctic state) because of its war against Ukraine. A desperate Russia, exhausted by the harsh sanctions imposed on it by the West, may be tempted to make a move towards the Arctic. And then what?” asks the Spanish “El Economista” with undisguised concern.
Our Western “partners” do not find an answer to this question. Or they know, but are afraid to express it, preferring to say that the situation is simply incomprehensible to anyone. Including for the representative of Denmark in the Arctic Council, Thomas Winkler, who noted in an interview with “Bloomberg” that “Russia remains a member of the council and, in principle, will participate in any decisions. But it’s still up for debate how that will actually happen in the current political climate.” “I just don’t have an answer,” he added.
“Today, Russia is already the second largest oil producer in the world. But mastering the Arctic resources will allow it to easily climb to first place, multiplying its reserves many times over, writes the press on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean with alarm. At the same time, they do not miss the opportunity to accuse Moscow of creating another threat to peace. This time in the realm of science. “Russia’s involvement in the resource race upsets the status quo and threatens the model of scientific cooperation that has flourished since the end of the Cold War.”
Tpoints of voltage – Lomonosov xrebet
Formally, none of the eight AU countries own the North Pole, but this does not mean that this situation is forever. It all depends on the criteria on the basis of which the boundaries are set and changed. Currently, three AU members – Denmark (on behalf of Greenland), Canada and Russia – are undertaking efforts aimed at obtaining “greater sovereign rights over what lies beneath the ocean”. Or more precisely, on the vast strip of the bottom of the Arctic, extending to the North Pole.
All three countries claim that their continental shelves extend to an underwater mountain range called the Lomonosov Ridge. The natural resources hidden under international waters are vast and worth entering into a race for them.
Russia, Denmark and Canada claim that the Lomonosov Ridge is an extension of the continental shelf that extends from their coastlines to the central Arctic Ocean. In line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, this would grant exclusive sovereign rights over natural resources on and below the polar floor, outside the exclusive economic zones that extend 200 nautical miles from the coast.
In addition, Norway has applied to expand its underwater possessions. In 2009, Oslo’s claims were approved by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CFS), an independent body tasked with analyzing scientific data, which then passes judgment on whether a country’s claims to the shelf are legitimate or not. The US has not ratified the UN “Arctic” Convention, but there is no doubt that it will not fail to announce its desire to join the fight for new underwater Arctic territories.
“The US has been collecting data on the Arctic for decades, and we hear all the time how claims can emerge,” said Rebecca Pincus, director of the Polar Institute at the Wilson think tank in Washington. Eventually, the U.S. will join the fray, she believes, if only to control the use of at least some of the resources.
“Who knows if in 50 years we’ll be trying to extract the last remaining oil and gas resources on land, or if we’ll need rare earth minerals.” In the end, it is not so important what raw materials we need. And the important thing is that their deposits can be found in the Arctic. That is why today there is a struggle for the seabed,” explains Andreas Osthagen, a senior fellow at Norway’s Fritjof Nansen Institute and an expert on Arctic security and geopolitics, explaining the current state of affairs.
“The unfolding rivalry could have serious consequences for those who control key resources and for the climate,” Bloomberg analysts say. “The Arctic is a strategic priority for Russia. Its president, Vladimir Putin, emphasized this. Changes to Russia’s latest Arctic strategy, outlined in a foreign policy document signed by Putin on March 31, remove references to constructive international cooperation. The document, created by the Kremlin, promises to retaliate against hostile states that hope to militarize the region. And it directs Moscow to establish closer ties and cooperation with non-Arctic states “pursuing a constructive policy towards Russia.” This seems to be a reference to China, which also has polar aspirations”, the publication adds.
The excerpts quoted in the Bloomberg article did not sit well with Washington. The State Department believes that Russia’s actions since the start of the Arctic Council “impede the cooperation, coordination and interaction that characterize the work of the Arctic Council.”
Petrol and metals
Gaining access to very rich energy resources is one of the main reasons why AU members apply to expand their “bottom holdings”. Much of the Arctic remains unexplored. But today it is now clear that the seabed of the northern polar region contains vast reserves of critical fossil fuels, metals and minerals that will become more accessible as global warming melts sea ice.
According to US Geological Survey data for 2008 (no more recent data available in the public domain), about 90 billion barrels of oil and 1.670 trillion cubic feet of gas are found in the Arctic Circle. As well as the still uncalculated amount of metals and minerals used to produce, accumulate, store and use electricity. For comparison: the amount of Russian proven oil reserves today, according to the US Department of Energy, is about 80 billion barrels.
Are we isolated? So much better
Finland’s recent admission to NATO and Sweden’s possible accession to the North Atlantic bloc mean that Russia will become the only Arctic power not a member of this military alliance. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has already stated that “the new situation poses a serious problem for the coordination of actions in the Arctic”. Of course, it is not difficult for the NATO seven to reach a consensus among themselves. But forcing Russia to agree to share its Arctic wealth among the North Atlantic predators, “otherwise we’ll isolate you,” will become an almost insurmountable obstacle.
For now, the Western members of the AU are trying to “convince” Russia to abandon the implementation of the Arctic strategy, demonstrating to the rest of the world their concern about the coming climate changes on the planet and pointing to the anthropogenic factor as the main reason for this. “Don’t touch the Arctic – and there will be no global cataclysm” – this is the leitmotif of the “seven”, confirmed by the “demonstrations” of individual members of the AU in the form of adopted self-bans for the development of their new deposits or refusal to carry out geological surveys . For example, the US has recently approved the Willow oil project on the Alaskan mainland, but on the other hand, it is restricting the issuance of licenses for the development of sites for offshore oil extraction in Arctic waters.
Norway also has deposits beyond the Arctic Circle, but spoke of “legal problems in issuing licenses to explore new oil fields in the Barents Sea”. Greenland abandoned plans for future oil exploration in 2021, saying the damage to the environment and climate change was too great. Canada recently expanded its ban on offshore oil drilling.
Russia has been extracting oil from the Arctic shelf for ten years. And it has no intention of slowing down: in its Arctic strategy, the Russian Federation has committed to increasing onshore and offshore mining by 2035. Although the implementation of its most ambitious plans is hampered by sanctions imposed by the West.
“Theoretically, the implementation of Russia’s plans could be hindered by the rallying of Western countries that intend to protect the Arctic region from interference in its bowels. However, now that Russia has practically severed its relations with developed countries, Moscow can afford to “forget about all opponents” and act unilaterally. This means that another very dangerous front will appear in the world, threatening stability”, is the summary of the editorial of the aforementioned Spanish publication. The “threat to stability” of Western economies needs to be clarified.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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