 NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Rob Bauer's statement about readiness for conflict with Russia in the Arctic is an attempt to justify the bloc's presence in the region, Nikolai Korchanov, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-At-Large and Chair of the senior Arctic officials of the Arctic Council, told. I believe the statement is not based on any serious and fundamental analysis of Russia's position in the Arctic region. It is clearly an attempt to justify the need for NATO's presence in the Arctic, he pointed out, Bauer told reporters earlier that growing Russia-China relations increased the risk of conflict with NATO in the Arctic. He added that NATO must be prepared for conflict in the region given Russia's ability to operate in the Arctic, NATO is increasingly concerned about Chinese maritime activity along the Russian northern sea route and the possibility that its commercial and scientific interests could foreshadow Chinese military presence in the Arctic, he added. We know that there are military scientists on board these ships. They have not stated that they will not use these vessels for military purposes, he stated according to him, NATO is concerned about China's objectives given its increasingly close ties with Russia, including cooperation in energy and transportation, which has led to a significant increase in Russian oil shipments to China through Arctic waters.ASA first stepped toward regular small container shipping along the northern sea route. A Chinese cargo ship completed a three-month circular journey from the Baltic Sea to China. The formation of Russia's commercial relationships following its invasion of Ukraine has led to increased oil deliveries to China. We cannot be naive and expect that these new routes will be used only by commercial vessels, Bauer stated.