Russia’s ambitions in the Arctic are increasingly colliding with NATO’s security concerns as melting ice transforms the far north into a key region that is “becoming central to global strategic rivalry.” According to Przemysław Piotr Adamski, assistant professor at the University of Georgia, the Arctic “is no longer peripheral” as tensions escalate between world powers. Speaking to Eastern Express on TVP World, Adamski said Moscow views the Arctic not as a shared international space, but as a core element of its sovereignty and long-term power projection. Central to that strategy is the Northern Sea Route, which Russia treats as an internal waterway, allowing it to regulate transit, demand escorts and impose fees on foreign vessels. “For years, the ice worked in Russia’s favor,” Adamski said, pointing to Moscow’s unmatched fleet of icebreakers, which once made passage through Arctic waters nearly impossible without Russian assistance. As ice coverage recedes, however, that leverage is beginning to erode, raising questions about how effectively Russia can enforce its claims. While Russia previously sought to expand its control through legal mechanisms under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Adamski said international support collapsed after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, leaving Moscow with little diplomatic leverage—even with China. The expert also highlighted the sensitive status of Svalbard, a Norwegian territory governed by a treaty that mandates neutrality and bans military deployments. That legal framework, he said, complicates any attempt by Russia—or NATO—to shift the balance there. Greenland, meanwhile, has emerged as a focal point of U.S. and Danish security planning. Adamski stressed that existing post-war agreements allow a continued American presence on the island, with Denmark’s consent and backing from Greenland’s government.
