{"id":72637,"date":"2026-01-12T14:57:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T14:57:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2026\/01\/12\/natos-europe-commander-sees-growing-russian-chinese-threat-in-arctic\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:31:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:31:51","slug":"natos-europe-commander-sees-growing-russian-chinese-threat-in-arctic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2026\/01\/12\/natos-europe-commander-sees-growing-russian-chinese-threat-in-arctic\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO\u2019s Europe commander sees growing Russian, Chinese threat in Arctic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PARIS \u2014 Russia and China are increasingly working together in the Arctic region<\/a>, and their presence there will be a growing threat to NATO allies, said Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, speaking at a Swedish national security conference on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Arctic ice recedes<\/a> and access to the region improves, Russia and China are cooperating with joint patrols not only on the north coast of Russia, but also north of Alaska and near Canada, Grynkewich said at this year\u2019s National Conference organized by Sweden\u2019s Folk och F\u00f6rvars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not for peaceful purposes,\u201d Grynkewich said. \u201cThey\u2019re not studying the seals and the polar bears. They\u2019re out there doing bathymetric surveys and trying to figure out how they can counter NATO capabilities on and under the sea. So that\u2019s something that could grow very quickly, and we need to be mindful of it and ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. President Donald Trump has cited the presence of Russia and China around Greenland to justify a claim to the Arctic island, an autonomous territory of Denmark where the U.S. has a military base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.K. has reportedly been in talks with NATO allies about how to beef up security in the Arctic to counter threats from Russia and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\t