WASHINGTON, October 12. /TASS/. The United States takes note of increased activities of Russia and China in the Arctic and are set to "uphold US security in the region," according to the new 50-page National Security Strategy published by the White House on Wednesday.
"The United States seeks an Arctic region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and cooperative," the strategy says.
Its authors claim, "Russia has invested significantly in its presence in the Arctic over the last decade, modernizing its military infrastructure and increasing the pace of exercises and training operations."
"Its aggressive behavior has raised geopolitical tensions in the Arctic, creating new risks of unintended conflict and hindering cooperation," the document alleges.
"The PRC (the People’s Republic of China) has also sought to increase its influence in the Arctic by rapidly increased its Arctic investments, pursuing new scientific activities, and using these scientific engagements to conduct dual-use research with intelligence or military applications," Washington claims.
"We will uphold US security in the region," it pledges. "We will exercise US Government presence in the region as required, while reducing risk and preventing unnecessary escalation. Arctic nations have the primary responsibility for addressing regional challenges, and we will deepen our cooperation with our Arctic allies and partners and work with them to sustain the Arctic Council and other Arctic institutions," it says.
Washington "will continue to protect freedom of navigation and determine the U.S. extended continental shelf in accordance with international rules."
The Russian embassy to the US said back in May that Moscow believes that cooperation, rather than military rivalry, should be stepped up in the Arctic and calls on the United States to abandon its counterproductive rhetoric.