Russia’s place in the world has changed fundamentally since the country adopted its last Foreign Policy Framework Policy in 2016. Back then, Russia was still a big power esteemed in many European capitals, despite the recent annexation of the Crimea and the incursions in Donbas.
Several of the key policy priorities highlighted in 2016 are no longer on the table. The new document presents a bitter and lone Russia in search of new partners. […]
The policy line is reflected also in the section about the Arctic, which no longer includes any mention of international cooperation structures like the Arctic Council and the Barents Euro-Arctic Council. Instead, there is a higher stress on conflict issues. According to the document, foreign powers are actively encroaching on Russian sovereignty in the region.
A priority for Russia is to “neutralize unfriendly countries’ militaristic policy in the region and their suppression of Russia’s possibilities to develop its own sovereign rights in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation,” it reads.[…]
According to a transcript from the meeting, Russia and China agreed to establish a joint body where they will look at ways to develop the Arctic shipping route.
The contrast to the foreign policy document of 2016 is striking. In the 2016 version, the Northern Sea Route was described exclusively as a national transport route without any mention of foreign partners. Läs artikel