Arctic Cooperation: The Arctic Council and Relations with Russia

Sep 6, 2024

3 min read

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, every other participating member state of the Arctic Council spoke out against their Arctic neighbor. In a joint statement, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States articulated their grievances with Russia and condemned what they considered to be “an unprovoked invasion”. These Arctic States went further to express the impediments to Arctic cooperation Russia had created, as well as the responsibility of the Arctic Council to remain active in an appropriate capacity. Acknowledging their “responsibility to the people of the Arctic”, the Arctic Council decided to self-impose travel restrictions to Russia and “temporarily pause participation in all meetings of the Council and its subsidiary bodies pending consideration”. These decisions were made amidst the ongoing 2021-2023 Russian Chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

During the pause of Arctic Council activity, there were some projects with no Russian involvement that were eventually given the green light to proceed as early as June of 2022. However, for projects requiring data collection and scientific contribution from Russia, work came to an unfortunate halt. When Russia’s chairmanship came to its scheduled end in 2023, Arctic States were relieved to witness Russia calmly transfer jurisdiction to Norway for Norway’s 2023-2025 Chairmanship. At this moment in time, diplomatic relations with Russia appear to be at a standstill despite Norway’s success in including all Arctic States in Norway’s virtual oil spill response exercise in March of this year.

Though Russian participation has essentially been put on hold, it is worth noting that a shared interest in Arctic conservation and preservation seem to be the ties that bind Russia and all seven of the remaining Arctic States together right now. Though these ties are the loosest they’ve been in recent history, it is worth noting that environmental threats to the Arctic have set a precedent for cooperation in the past. During the Cold War, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and the United States met with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on behalf of endangered polar bear populations.

Officially known as the “Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears,” the 1973 treaty recognized the responsibility of the Arctic states to protect the Arctic’s fauna and flora (animals and plants). The four-page document outlined ten specific articles detailing the agreement to conserve and properly manage polar bear populations through coordinated national measures between the Arctic States. As an additional diplomatic courtesy, the final two lines of the document validated the treaty’s text in both English and Russian and ensured equal authenticity. The agreement was signed in Oslo, Norway, on November 15, 1973.

We live in an imperfect world, but the presence of imperfection does not warrant escalatory tactics. In the world of international relations, equal and opposite reactions rarely de-escalate situations. Most often, it is a series of creative and unforeseen responses that restore order in less than ideal circumstances. At the end of the day, it is best for all Arctic States to sit down at the table with their differences well articulated than any alternative. If Russia were to withdraw from the Arctic Council as it has proposed in the past, it would be devastating for all other Arctic States too.

Norwegian Political Scientist and Arctic Council Researcher Svein Vigeland Rottem is convinced that “Without Russia, the Arctic Council will not survive.” Norwegian Senior Arctic Official and Russian Specialist Solveig Rossebø has stated similarly: “We are not the Arctic 7. We are 8.” The sentiment of the Arctic Council’s Norwegian Chairmanship regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine does not run completely parallel with the narratives from popular media. However, it does not sanction or acquiesce to Russia’s military movements either. It simply acknowledges the necessity of continued cooperation by all Arctic States regardless of current unfortunate circumstances.