The paper examines the dialectic of interstate relations in the Arctic. It is shown that this process has always been characterized by a certain dualism, which includes both cooperation and confrontation. On the one hand, a unique interaction has been established in the Arctic region, concerning not only scientific research, but also specifically applied issues related to ensuring the safety of navigation, protecting the marine environment, and regulating the catch of aquatic biological resources. On the other hand, there have been and remain unresolved disputes regarding the delimitation of maritime spaces, the imposition of claims regarding the definition of the outer limits of the continental shelf, and the legal status of shipping routes. In recent years, the Russian Federation has faced the fact that the level of interstate cooperation has actually been frozen here, and the Arctic is turning into a zone of confrontation, as in the Cold War era. However, despite the fundamental change in circumstances, these two trends - cooperation and confrontation - will persist here, with the only difference that the former will temporarily prevail over the latter.