MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. The Arctic has always been a zone of tense confrontation between various countries, and Washington’s ambitions to increase its presence there do not come as a surprise, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on a Business Insider report saying that the United States is readying a force for conflicts in a cold climate to regain its Arctic dominance.

"This is not a new challenge. Unfortunately, the Arctic has been and remains a zone of quite tense confrontation," Peskov told reporters, when asked whether the Kremlin sees risks of growing tensions in the region.

As the world’s largest Arctic country, Russia views its polar regions as strategically important. "Primarily in terms of their use in the economy in compliance with all norms and rules regarding environmental protection," the Russian presidential spokesman said. He described developing the Russian Arctic and unlocking its economic potential as a priority.