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December 02, 2021

Russian Militarization in Arctic Could Lead to Offensive Action, Says Former Defense Official

By Jim Townsend

During the June 2021 summit with the Russian president, President Biden talked to Putin about the Arctic remaining “a region of cooperation rather than conflict,” but there has been increased Russian militarization in the region. Jim Townsend, adjunct senior fellow in the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security and former deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy, said Russia’s actions could be seen as defensive but could be a “jumping off place” for offensive actions in the future.

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