The United States is ready to appoint its first-ever U.S. ambassador to the Arctic region, a State Department spokesman said, a move that comes at a time when both the Russians and the Chinese are increasing their presence in the area.

It is expected that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will soon name a candidate for this position, whose appointment will then have to be approved by the US Senate.

This new US ambassador will handle contacts with the other seven Arctic nations: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia.

The corresponding statement was made “as Russia strengthens its presence near the North Pole, and China builds research stations in the Arctic,” as the BBC notes in its report.

It is recalled that just last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Canada, from where he sent his own warning messages, expressing concern about the movements of Russians and Chinese in the North Pole region.

“In recent years, the Kremlin has built new bases there (in the Arctic region) and upgraded Soviet-era facilities, presumably to test new weapons such as hypersonic missiles. Meanwhile, China now defines itself as a sub-Arctic power and is investing billions of dollars in building Arctic energy and infrastructure projects, including the world’s largest fleet of icebreakers, along what Beijing calls the “Polar Silk Road,” notes the Gzero website. in his analysis highlights how the melting of the ice leads to the opening of new trade routes, while opening up access to new energy and mineral resources.

For his part, however, (Norwegian) Stoltenberg is calling for a comprehensive review of NATO’s Arctic strategy, stressing that the closest route for the Russians, should they ever decide to attack North America, would be through the Arctic Circle.

According to the BBC, Gzero