Russia has vital economic and defence interests in Arctic, Putin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the country has vital defence and economic interests in the Arctic, citing a potential US military threat from submarine-based missiles there.

Russia detained 30 Greenpeace activists protesting against Arctic drilling at the Prirazlomnaya offshore oil platform in September and they now face charges carrying seven-year jail sentences, underlining Moscow's interest in the Arctic.

Putin has ordered a Soviet-era military base reopened in the Arctic as part of a drive to make the northern coast a global shipping route and secure the region's vast energy resources. "Not only are there major economic interests for our country there ... it is also an important part of our defence capability," Putin told university students in Moscow on Tuesday. "There are [US] submarines there and they carry missiles. It only takes 15-16 minutes for US missiles to reach Moscow from the Barents Sea.

"So should we give away the Arctic? We should, on the contrary, explore it."

Nevertheless, Putin said Russia was unlikely to get involved in any global conflicts, particularly with the United States.

Russia, the world's largest country and its second-biggest oil exporter, is vying with Canada, Denmark, Norway and the United States for control of the oil, gas and precious metals that would become more accessible if global warming shrinks the Arctic ice cap.