Should the West Engage with Russia on Science and Conversation While the War in Ukraine Continues?

BACKGROUND

Over the previous three weeks, participants in this forum have explored the Russian Arctic as a place of cultural importance for many Indigenous people, significant biodiversity, and commercially valuable resources from fish to oil. We have learned about the three decades of post-Cold War cooperation in Arctic wildlife and ecosystem research, speaking directly to biologists who worked on both sides of the U.S.-Russia maritime boundary. We also have examined some of the main economic drivers accelerating energy development in the Russian Arctic since the onset of the war in Ukraine. These factors include the exodus of Western business partners, sanctions on Russian companies, and expanding relationships between Russia and Asia along the Northern Sea Route. 

In the study group’s fourth session, structured as a debate, we used our knowledge of these key issues facing the region to weigh a question that many Western governments, NGOs, and academia are confronting at this time: Should the West engage with Russia on science and conservation, at a time when Russia is waging an unjust and violent war on a sovereign nation? And if so, how to move forward? Joining us as expert commentators were Fran Ulmer, former Alaska Lieutenant Governor and Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center’s Arctic Initiative, and Ambassador David Balton, Director of the U.S. Arctic Executive Steering Committee.