The battle for control of the Arctic looms as Blinken tours northern NATO.

BERLIN — As the polar ice melts, Russia, already a major Arctic power, wants to make the region its own. China has ambitions for a ‘polar silk road’. And NATO is embracing Finland – and Sweden too, Washington hopes – and giving the alliance a new reach in the far north.

Climate change is accelerating and intensifying competition in the Arctic like never before, opening up the region to more commercial and strategic jostling just as Russia, China and the West are all seeking to expand their military presence there.

The growing importance of the region is underscored by the travels of US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who will attend an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Norway on Thursday.

This week, Mr Blinken is making it a point to also visit Sweden and Finland, to meet the leaders of all three countries as they press Turkey to ratify Sweden’s swift entry into NATO. He will deliver an important speech on Russia, Ukraine and NATO on Friday in Helsinki, the capital of NATO’s newest member.

For a long time, countries hesitated to discuss the Arctic as a possible military zone. But that is quickly changing.

Russian aggression plus climate change make “a perfect storm,” said Matti Pesu, an analyst at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. There is a new atmosphere of the Cold War, mixed with melting ice, influencing military planning and opening up new economic opportunities and access to natural resources.

“So these are all interrelated and reinforce each other,” Mr Pesu said. “It makes the region intriguing.”

While NATO welcomes Russia’s difficulties in Ukraine, the alliance has significant vulnerabilities in the north.

Climate change is making shipping lanes less ice-bound and easier to navigate, making the Arctic more accessible and attractive for competitive commercial exploitation, as well as military adventurism.

Russia has said it wants to make the Arctic its own – a fifth military district, similar to the other four – said Robert Dalsjo, research director at the Swedish Defense Research Agency.

China has also been busy establishing itself in the region and using new unfrozen routes, one of the reasons why NATO considers China a major security challenge.