An upcoming cold front may open the door to new tensions in Europe and Russia’s energy disputes. This time, in the Arctic.

The EU presented Wednesday proposals to prohibit the taping of Arctic oil, coal, and gas resources. This was in order to prevent further climate disruption.

Russia, a major holder of Arctic territory where an abundance of its hydrocarbon and fish stocks are found, is not too pleased with the proposals with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak telling CNBC Thursday that they were politically-motivated and nonsensical.

” I was a bit surprised when I heard about this yesterday. Why not the Equator, the Arctic? “One could find a number places in the world that oil and gas production must cease,” he said to CNBC’s Hadley Gamble during the Russian Energy Week conference. According to a translation.

“This proposal is motivated solely by politics,” he said. These statements are telling us that it is time to stop extracting all the gas being produced. He said that he believed the writers of these statements have little knowledge of the true state of affairs.

These EU proposals are made at a moment when there is already tension between Russia and Europe in the area of energy and natural gas. Prices have been soaring as Europe’s demand is squeezed by tighter-than-expected supplies.

Russia claims it has increased gas supplies, but critics say it is using its gas exports to the region for political purposesIt was primarily trying to get Germany certified for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipe. Russia has denied exploiting Europe’s gas crises. with President Vladimir Putin insisting to CNBC on Wednesday that Moscow was not using gas a weapon.

However, the EU seems to want to expand its presence in the region. in a proposal mooted by the European CommissionIt noted Wednesday that the Arctic is of strategic significance to the European Union in terms of climate change, raw material and geostrategic influence.

It stated that the EU would “strengthen EU Engagement” in the Arctic by contributing to “contributing in maintaining peaceful and constructive dialog and cooperation in changing geopolitical terrain, to preserve the Arctic safe and secure” along with “pushing for oil and coal to stay in ground including Arctic regions”, and “supporting inclusive and sustainable growth of the Arctic to the benefit its inhabitants” and the future generations.

Russia’s Arctic economy is an important part. territory, its coastline accounts for 53% of Arctic Ocean coastline and the country’s population in the region totals roughly 2 million people — that’s around half of the people living in the Arctic worldwide, according to the Arctic Institute, a center for circumpolar security studies.

Alexei Chekunkov, Russia’s minister for development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, said in June that “the Arctic is the engine of economic growth. It contributes 10% to our GDP and 20% to our exports. Russia recognizes the need for sustainability in this region. Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council, a position it will hold until 2023, is “Responsible Governance for a Sustainable Arctic.“

For the Arctic, sustainability is an important question. According to the UN, the Arctic is heating twice as fast than the global average. the Norwegian Polar InstituteThe warning was issued by, which warned of “significant regional warming” that could lead to the loss of sea ice and melting glaciers in the area, as well as severe implications for people and nature around the globe.

Novak wondered if EU-related proposals implied that residents and workers in the region would need to relocate.

There are many people who live in Russia’s Arctic Zone. They have many communities and settlements. We generate electricity to help them. These statements should lead us to conclude that all human activity and habitation must be stopped in these areas. He said this Thursday.

He said that Russia was not affected by the proposed changes. The U.S., Canada and Iceland (both members of NATO Council but are not part of the European Economic Area) have territories in the Arctic.