⚡️Comment by the Permanent Mission of Russia to the EU for TASS News Agency Regarding the Adoption of the New EU Arctic Strategy, 21 October 2026 READ IN FULL 💬Against the backdrop of the divisions among EU Member States that emerged at the latest EU summit over the future development of the European project, including its long-term financing, as well as over a response to yet another energy crisis, exacerbated by the decision of Brussels to abandon energy cooperation with Russia, the publication of the updated EU Arctic policy on 20 October 2026 should not be accorded undue significance. It is particularly remarkable that the interest of the EU in the Arctic region is expressed for the first time primarily in terms of geopolitical ambitions of Brussels, with reference to imaginary threats allegedly posed by Russia and China, as well as in the context of partners deemed “unreliable” by the EU, apparently against the backdrop of last year’s debate over Greenland’s status. Security issues and the relevant efforts of the EU itself, presented as complementing NATO’s role in ensuring collective defence, are now placed at the centre of the new EU strategy. It is openly stated that the EU views the Arctic, which has always remained a zone of peace and cooperation, as “the frontline of global power competition”. In short, the EU is preparing for an escalation of the situation in the Arctic and is opposing its own interests to the priorities of cooperation among the Arctic states and international cooperation in general. Brussels declares its intention to exploit economic treasures of the Arctic and is preparing to develop critical raw materials there, as well as is turning a blind eye to the extraction by Norway of hydrocarbons in the region, without which the energy security of the EU cannot be ensured given the winding down of its energy cooperation with Russia. ❗️Overall, the document concludes that the Arctic is part of the European Union, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas declares that the EU will not be a “bystander” in the region. In view of these confrontational approaches, which are in line with the broader policy of the militarisation of the EU and standoff with Russia, such policy of Brussels should be expected to lead to an isolation of the European Union in the Arctic affairs, particularly against the dismantlement of the multilateral cooperation frameworks in Northern Europe by the EU itself.