Vladimir Putin wants to send more soldiers to the Arctic – because of NATO

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the stationing of other soldiers in the Arctic. He calls on the Russian government to drive the construction and renovation of garrison cities in the polar zone, said the Kremlin chief at an Arctic forum in Murmansk. “I would like to emphasize that this is of course related to the strengthening of our military component in the region, the number of soldiers will grow here.” Russia will also enforce its rights to NATO, he emphasized.

“Of course, we only worry about the fact that the NATO countries overall named the far north more and more as a bridgehead of possible conflicts and rehearse the use of the military under these conditions,” said Putin. Soldiers from Finland and Sweden would also be used, “until recently we had no problems”. Finns and Sweden joined Ukraine after the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against their safety of NATO.

Russia does not threaten anyone, Putin emphasized in Murmansk. At the same time, Moscow will not allow other countries to threaten the sovereignty and national interests of Russia, he said. Under the ice of the Arctic, huge deposits of oil and gas are suspected. Russia has already registered claims for large areas, which it sees as an submarine extension of its coast. At the same time, Putin said that Russia was open to the partnership of raw materials with western companies.

In this context, the Kremlin boss also commented on the plans of US President Donald Trump to take over Greenland from Denmark. It was wrong to dismiss these plans as “extravagant rhetoric of the new American administration”. It is a serious plans of the United States to Greenland. “It is obvious that the United States will continue to systematically force its geopolitical, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic,” said Putin. However, the connection of Greenland is a bilateral question between two countries and does not affect Russia.

Since taking office in January, US President Donald Trump has stated several times that he wanted to bring Greenland under US control. The United States would need the autonomous Danish territory “for international security”, Trump had recently said. Greenland and Denmark decide an annexation.

The strategically important island lies between North America and Europe. Since more sea routes are gradually accessible in the Arctic region due to climate change, Greenland is even more in the focus of the United States, Russia and China.