Sputnik posted an article titled, “US-Russia Work in Arctic Council Unaffected by Increased Tensions – Envoy.” The article reads in part as follows;
“Cooperation between the United States and Russia within the framework of the Arctic Council has remained unaffected by the heightened tensions between the two countries, US Special Representative for the Arctic Adm. Robert Papp told Sputnik.
“In spite of the increased tensions and that the fact that we feel very strongly about the aggression that is taking place in Ukraine, our business within the Arctic Council has gone on with the sense of cooperation,” Papp stated on Tuesday. “I am very happy with the way Russia has cooperated in our Arctic Council business, and I am confident that will continue.”
US-Russian relations began deteriorating in 2014 in the wake of what many consider was a coup in Ukraine, followed by Kiev’s military operation against militias in the country’s southeast as well as Crimea’s reunification with Russia.
The United States, the European Union and their allies imposed sanctions on Russia for its alleged involvement in Ukraine’s affairs — an accusation Moscow has repeatedly refuted.
The Arctic Council is comprised of eight Arctic nations — the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden. The United States currently chairs the Arctic Council until the May 2017 ministerial meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska.
The United States expects Russia to continue to maintain the Arctic environment regardless of the equipment utilized there, Robert Papp told Sputnik on Tuesday when asked whether Washington has any concerns about possible impact on Arctic ecology of Russia’s use of non-US equipment.”
