January 21, 2026 (Bloomberg) – Norway’s defense minister stated that the importance of the country’s energy-rich polar archipelago is increasing because of the intensifying competition among major powers in the Arctic.

According to Tore O. Sandvik, during a meeting with international media in Oslo, tensions between Russia and the NATO alliance are shifting from the GIUK gap—an important sea route between Greenland, Iceland, and the UK—to an area called the Bear Gap. This area is located between Svalbard, the Arctic archipelago, and mainland Norway.

Sandvik explained that Russia aims to control this region to ensure its navy has unrestricted access to global oceans, while NATO wants to prevent Russian control over it.

“The Bear Gap is becoming more crucial because we need to monitor submarines,” Sandvik added.

However, he noted that Norway hasn’t observed an increase in Russian activity around Svalbard, as the Kremlin is currently focused on Ukraine. He emphasized that Svalbard is part of Norway and will be defended.