Is It Possible to Continue Cooperating with Russia in the Arctic Council?

Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, quickly ended all Arctic international cooperation. On March 3, the seven member states (A-7) of the Arctic Council announced their condemnation of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and that cooperation within the Arctic Council must now be paused, even as Russia serves currently as a chair of the Council. At the same time, the A-7 also expressed the importance of continued Arctic Council cooperation. Russia referred to the decision of the other member states on March 4 as “regrettable,” emphasizing that Arctic Council cooperation should be isolated from tensions elsewhere; the Russian chairmanship also stated that they will continue to implement their program domestically.