Washington. June 17. INTERFAX-The United States believes that Russia is interested in more militarization of the Arctic, while Washington wants the region to remain a region of peaceful cooperation.
"They (Russia - IF) declare that they share our conviction that the Arctic should remain a zone of peaceful cooperation...) But we have two problems. One of them is the steps that we see Russia taking, suggesting that it is interested in more militarization of the region, and we believe that this directly contradicts our stated desires to ensure that the Arctic remains an area of peaceful cooperation, " a senior US administration official said during a briefing, the text of which was distributed by the State Department.
He called the Northern Sea Route another problem.
"Because the ice is melting so quickly, and because the path is now traversed for a much longer period of the year, this will increase traffic, and this can increase possible accidents, misunderstandings, miscalculations. And so we believe that there is a real need for there to be a clear understanding of the traffic rules, " the official said.
"We will need to see if there are ways both inside and outside the Arctic Council to overcome some of these differences," he added.
The official said that US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin discussed the issue of cooperation in the Arctic during the summit held on June 16 in Geneva.
