US President Joe Biden will appoint an ambassador to the Arctic zone, a first for the US in the context of Russia’s efforts to expand its influence in the region.

“An Arctic region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and cooperative is of critical strategic importance to the United States and a priority for the Secretary [de stat Antony] Blinken,” said a statement released Friday by the State Department in Washington.

“As one of the 8 Arctic nations, the United States has a long-standing commitment to protecting national security and economic interests in the region, combating climate change, encouraging development and investment, and fostering cooperation with Arctic nations, allies, and partners,” he added. he.

The release also said that the current US Arctic coordinator will be promoted to the rank of ambassador and that the Biden administration is awaiting congressional approval after the nomination is sent to the Senate.

In recent years, Russia has stepped up its efforts to expand its influence and control over the Arctic, claiming more than a million square kilometers in the area, including the North Pole, since 2015.

The territory claimed by Russia is considered strategic due to studies that have shown the presence of huge reserves of hydrocarbons. Vladimir Putin has called the region a “territory of special interest” for Russia and ordered an increased military presence.

NATO considers Russia a strategic challenge in the Arctic

Earlier on Friday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia’s capabilities in the North are a challenge for NATO and that the organization needs a strong presence of allies in the Arctic region.

“The importance of the North is growing for NATO and Canada as we see a significant build-up of the Russian military with new bases and new weapons systems,” said Jens Stoltenberg, standing next to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Cold Lake, Alberta. .

For his part, Trudeau said that the change in the geopolitical situation in recent months has shown that Russia is a growing concern.

Former US President Donald Trump sparked a diplomatic row with Denmark after he said in 2019 that he would like to buy Greenland to strengthen the United States’ presence in the region.

“Basically, this is a big real estate deal,” he said 3 years ago, assessing that the huge island “creates a lot of problems for Denmark, because they lose about 700 million dollars every year to maintain it… And strategically for the United States of America will be very sympathetic, and we are a great ally of Denmark, we protect Denmark, we help Denmark, and we will help them.”