“The path has been paved for confrontation’: NATO reacts to Russia’s claims in the Arctic. “The Arctic is becoming more and more important, including for the USA and NATO.
The reactive deterrent measures they are now taking are only logical,” says Michael Paul, Arctic expert at the Science and Politics Foundation. Russia has a 25,000 kilometer long, almost uninhabited coastline on the Arctic Ocean, which is largely protected by an ice sheet. Experts estimate a largely ice-free Arctic Ocean could be a reality as early as 2035.