The working assumption of both Canada and the U.S. that has been made about Russia is that it's a state like others that we always watch, but it's not necessarily an automatic concern. We have other organizations like the Arctic Council. We have agreements like the Ilulissat declaration, and all states, including Russia, have pledged to abide by international law and cooperation.
The events of Ukraine are certainly worrisome, but when it comes to the Arctic, it's actually Russia that has the most to lose. They have put all of their eggs in the Arctic GDP basket, and it benefits Russia the most if law and order continue to function in the Arctic. Also, certainly, their behaviour with respect to things like the process for the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf suggests they would prefer to follow law and order rather than try to dictate by force.
So yes, we all have to remember that often messages are more for a domestic audience than for an international audience, and I think this is the case in the Arctic, in that both Canada and Russia tend to be speaking to their domestic audiences first. Then it's up to the international community to sort of filter that out.