MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2022) The inclusion of the Arctic in NATO's area of interests increases the degree of conflict potential and creates challenges for other countries, including Russia, Nikolai Korchunov, an ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry and a senior official of the Arctic Council, told Sputnik.
"The inclusion of the Arctic into the NATO area of interests only complicates the military and political situation in the region, increases the degree of conflict and creates serious challenges for other countries, including Russia," Korchunov said.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that NATO is an alliance aimed at confrontation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in early April that further expansion of the alliance eastward is aggressive in nature and will not make Europe more secure. At the same time, he noted that the Kremlin did not consider the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO an existential threat to Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 5 that the country is returning to the Arctic both in terms of economy and ensuring defense capabilities, as well as from the perspective of preventing emergency situations.
