Blinken and Lavrov celebrate the first US-Russia summit in the symbolic scene of Reykjavik

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last Wednesday night in Iceland. This meeting takes place within the ministerial session of the Arctic Council in Reykjavik. The summit between Blinken and Lavrov is the first between the heads of Russian and American diplomacy. Being held in the Icelandic capital has symbolic value, as former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met in 1986. “We seek a stable and predictable relationship with Russia,” Blinken declared. Relations between Moscow and Washington have cooled in recent months. The first sanctions of the Biden Administration were directed at Russian authorities for the Navalny case. In addition, the US president described Vladimir Putin as a “murderer”. On the other hand, the escalation of tension on the Russian-Ukrainian border led to further strain those ties. “Nor is it any secret that we have our differences,” said the Secretary of State, making clear reference to those discrepancies. Blinken has also warned that, as Biden has already informed Putin, “if Russia acts aggressively against us, our partners and our allies, we will respond.” Days before the meeting, Lavrov made reference to US sanctions against Russia and the they represent an obstacle to establishing good bilateral relations. “Apparently, there is a decision to promote stable and predictable relations with Russia. However, if this includes constant and predictable sanctions, that is not what we need ”, assured the Russian minister. He also added that the Russian attitude towards the United States was based on “specific actions rather than words.”Lavrov was referring not only to the sanctions for the Navalny case, but also to the new sanctions for a European pipeline. The Biden government imposed sanctions on the Russian-controlled Nord Stream 2 company for the construction of the gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. Berlin, contrary to the US decision, has insisted that these sanctions are “an interference in its internal affairs.” Washington has considered this project as a “geopolitical security risk.” However, in the middle of this meeting and in order to reduce tensions, Washington has lifted the sanctions against Nord Stream 2, but it does maintain them against ships and companies involved in the construction of the pipeline. Despite the attempt to improve ties, Lavrov and Blinken have disagreed on some issues, such as the militarization of the Arctic, where the Secretary of State has shown his “concern”, arguing that this may increase “the danger of accidents ”, in addition to being incompatible with the objective of a“ sustainable and peaceful future for the region ”. Lavrov, on the contrary, has declared that they have every “obligation to keep the Arctic coast protected”, insisting that “everything that Russia is doing is absolutely legal.” The Russian minister also recalled the militarization of other countries, alluding to NATO. “We have questions for our neighbors, such as Norway, which is trying in every way possible to justify the need to move NATO to the Arctic.” However, despite differences on issues such as Ukraine, Lavrov informed reporters after the meeting that the talks had been “constructive.”US authorities agreed with the Russian minister, calling it “a good start” that allowed “addressing many issues.” Blinken announced that this meeting would also serve to discuss other relevant issues such as the new escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran or the environment. This meeting may be the prelude to the meeting between Putin and Biden, which could be held in the coming months. . As Blinken assured, “face-to-face” conversations are key to trying to have a more stable relationship. Russian interest in the Arctic The Arctic can be another scenario that causes dispute between Biden and Putin, since it is a main objective of the Russian foreign policy. In fact, some countries such as Canada, a member of the Arctic Council, already alerted Russia to its actions in the Arctic in 2007. In that year, two Russian submarines descended to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean, later planted a Russian flag in a capsule of titanium in the area. “This is not the 15th century. You cannot roam the world raising flags and saying: we demand this region, “declared Canada’s then Foreign Minister Peter MacKay. The roof of the world has been one of Russia’s priorities since Soviet times. However, it was the tsars who drew the first maps of northern Siberia. In 1937 the first Soviet mission to the North Pole was carried out. From this historical fact, infrastructures began to develop in the region, such as roads or bridges. Russia was not the only country that shows interest in this unknown part of the world. Other states, with part of their national territory in the Arctic, have also begun to claim their role in the area.For this reason, the Arctic Council was created in 1996, through the Ottawa Declaration. This international forum is made up of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States. The Council’s objectives are to cooperate on Arctic affairs, develop sustainable development programs and protect the environment, as well as the indigenous minorities in the area. Global warming is playing a key role within the Arctic. The thaw opens up new possibilities for exploitation. The Geological Institute of the United States announced in 2008, in full expansion towards the area, that the Arctic was home to 90,000 million barrels of oil and 44,000 million of natural gas. These calculations represent 13% and 30% respectively of the world reserves of these highly valued resources. In addition to all the valuable materials it contains, it could become an important international sea route, for these reasons the Arctic area will be a key geopolitical area, as well as being able to cause conflicts between countries. As the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE) points out, despite the absence of an armed confrontation, stakeholders in the region constantly demonstrate their pressure. One of the problems that the Arctic has, according to the IEEE, is that it lacks an international legal text, like the Antarctic.