NATO representatives’ statement about the need to prepare for a conflict with Russia in the Arctic can be explained as an attempt to justify the Alliance’s presence in the region, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Nikolay Korchunov said.

“I believe the statement is not based on a serious fundamental analysis of the Russian position in the Arctic and is an obvious attempt to justify the need for NATO presence in the Arctic,” Korchunov commented.

At the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Rob Bauer expressed his concerns about the growing relations between Russia and China. He suggested that China’s commercial and scientific interests, as well as Russia’s significant contribution to the creation of Arctic air bases and other infrastructure, could become harbingers of conflict in the Arctic.

“We cannot be naive and expect these new routes to solely be used by commercial vessels. NATO must be prepared for conflict in the region given Russia’s ability to operate in the Arctic,” Bloomberg writes citing Bauer.

He also added that NATO is not concerned that the Arctic would become a hotbed “immediately.”