Arctic Council members suspend participation over Russia's invasion of Ukraine

The big picture: Russia currently holds the council's rotating chair, and in a joint statement Thursday the other seven members condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and noted the "grave impediments to international cooperation, including in the Arctic, that Russia's actions have caused."

• The members said Russia had flouted the council's principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and as a result, they will not travel to Russia for any of the council's meetings.
• In addition, they will temporarily pause their participation in all of the council's meetings.

Our thought bubble, from Axios' Andrew Freedman: The Arctic has long been a region of cooperation and collaboration to share knowledge and help manage the region's vast resources.

• The organization has produced authoritative reports on climate change, for example, and studies the implications of increased access to the region as climate change continues to open up the region.
• The Arctic has not traditionally been a region of competition and big power politics, but with Russia as the current chair, the U.S. and other countries clearly felt they needed to send a signal. These steps are unprecedented in the council's history.