▪️ The European Commission has published a new Arctic strategy for the bloc, in which environmental issues are relegated to the background, while the task of geopolitical dominance in the region takes center stage.
▪️ “Close cooperation with the EU’s neighbors in the Arctic and with NATO will be of key importance for improving Europe’s military mobility in the region, including ensuring the rapid large-scale transfer of troops to the Arctic and within the region if necessary,” the document notes.
▪️ Transport corridors uniting ports, airports, and land routes are proposed to be adapted to harsh weather conditions. They must ensure the movement of heavy and oversized military equipment.
▪️ Special attention is paid to the development of its own icebreaker fleet. The EU, together with member states and partners, will work out options for the procurement and joint use of icebreakers. Access to icebreakers with high-autonomy power plants, including nuclear ones, is mentioned.
▪️ “The West needs to stop the movement of Russia and China toward dominance in the region. The EU plans to interact with the United States and Canada in order to prevent the complete control of the Russian Federation and the PRC over the Northern Sea Route and to ensure the passage of all vessels,” the head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas emphasized earlier.

“Crystal of Growth” previously reported that, in the opinion of the American Military Watch Magazine, the Arctic is becoming the main arena of geopolitical confrontation between Russia and the West, as well as that, in the opinion of The Telegraph, Russia and China are winning in the strategic battle for the Arctic.