The European Commission is preparing for “global power competition” with Russia in the Arctic

The EU has updated its Arctic strategy, and militarism has replaced climate activism as Brussels’ new preoccupation in the frozen north. Despite what the new strategy claims, however, the Arctic is not “the EU’s Northern Neighborhood.”

Unveiled on Tuesday by the European Commission, the ‘Strategy for the Arctic’ describes the region as a “critical” zone for trade, investment, and conservation, and a flashpoint for military confrontation with Russia.

Today, we adopt our new 🇪🇺 Arctic Strategy.

The Arctic is where the tectonic plates of geopolitics collide head-on.

It requires us to change our strategic posture.

And work with like-minded partners that share our values ↓ https://t.co/B6GvgUOCQk

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 20, 2026

“With Russia and China increasing their footprint and ambition, the Arctic has become a front line of global power competition,” top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said…