In an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti published on September 17, Russian ambassador-at-large Nikolay Korchunov decried increasing hostilities in the Arctic due to what he labeled as the destructive policies of the United States and its allies, declaring that NATO’s military enlargement in the Arctic jeopardizes regional security and thus warrants countermeasures from Russia.
The senior Russian Foreign Ministry official added that NATO’s move to welcome Finland — which has already joined the bloc as full-fledged member — and Sweden demonstrated that NATO backed “forceful scenarios to increase its own security in the North at the expense of the security of other countries.” At the moment, Stockholm’s NATO application has been stalled by Türkiye and Hungary, both NATO members that have been hesitant to ratify Sweden’s bid owing to outstanding grievances with Stockholm.