Maksim Dankin Supposes the Rise of Two Dominant Powers in the Arctic

February 5, 2026
Why is the world now seriously looking at the North, how has Greenland become a point where the interests of the USA, Europe, Russia, and China converge, and why is melting ice changing not just the map but the very logic of world politics? In early February, Maksim Dankin, General Director of the Project Office for Arctic Development, discussed this with Anatoly Kuzichev in a new episode of his podcast About Us.
«The case related to Greenland could very strongly influence the world order – at least in the Northern Hemisphere. Let’s suppose, hypothetically, Denmark disappears from the composition of Arctic states because it loses Greenland… Then two superpowers will emerge in the Arctic. These will be Russia and the USA. Everyone else, including Sweden, Norway and others, will be the ‘little ones.’ This will completely change the configuration of international dialogue in the Arctic. The Americans will start creating their own rules, and we will have to respond,»
- Dankin noted
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