Europeans step up Arctic diplomacy amid U.S. and global pressure

The French delegation also toured Iceland’s Keflavík Air Base. 

The talks also focused on Iceland’s growing emphasis on security and defense, including the development of the country’s first national defense and security policy, Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

 No longer business-as-usual in the North

Arctic nations have grown increasingly concerned about the shifting balance of power in the region, especially since the war in Ukraine and Russia’s continued militarization of the Arctic.

Meanwhile, China’s expanding presence, fueled by its ‘Polar Silk Road’ ambitions, is intensifying tensions, with Western sanctions on Russia pushing Beijing and Moscow closer together. On top of that, former President Donald Trump’s persistent rhetoric on claiming Greenland have put Arctic nations, and the West more broadly, that on notice that’s no longer business as usual in the North.

The signing of the Letter of Intent was part of a broader surge in European diplomatic activity in the Arctic in recent days.

On June 15, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Greenland, where he met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen to reaffirm Europe’s solidarity in the face of U.S. ambitions for the territory.

“The situation in Greenland is clearly a wakeup call for all Europeans,” Macron said in a report by Reuters news wire service. “Let me tell you very directly that you’re not alone.”

Macron’s visit came amid mounting tensions over U.S. plans for the Arctic.

Last week, Denmark ave the green light for U.S. military bases on its soil, deepening Arctic security ties with Washington. A move that came despite ongoing tensions over former President Donald Trump’s continued wish to take control of Greenland. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told lawmakers at the time that Denmark could scrap the deal if the U.S. ever attempts to annex any part of Greenland.

Meanwhile, also last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seemed to confirm that the Pentagon has contingency plans to seize Greenland by force if needed.

Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee pressed Hegseth for answers on military plans for Greenland. When Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) asked directly if the Pentagon had plans to take Greenland by force, Hegseth deflected, saying, “Our job at the Defense Department is to have plans for any contingency.”

Norwegian monarch travels to Svalbard

And a day after Macron’s visit to Greenland, Norway’s King Harald and Queen Sonja visited Svalbard to reinforce Norwegian sovereignty over the strategically crucial islands.

“We see an increased interest in the Arctic and Svalbard,” he said in an AP report on Monday.  “This creates challenges as well as possibilities.”

Norway’s control over Svalbard is backed by the 1920 Svalbard Treaty and international law, giving it full authority over the archipelago, its waters, and airspace. But as part of the Treaty, Norway must allow other signatory countries equal access to things like fishing, hunting, and commercial activities, though Norway still regulates how it’s done.

Russia, a signatory to the treaty, has small settlements on Svalbard including Barentsburg and Pyramiden.

China, also a signatory, has a significant research interest in Svalbard and operates the Yellow River Research Station in the town of Ny-Ålesund.

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