Canada deepens Arctic defense ties with Nordics after Trump threats

Since U.S. President Donald Trump’s barrage of threats to seize Greenland, authorities on the frozen island have been seeking help from a northern ally: Canada, Reuters reported.

A reserve unit of the Canadian armed forces called the Rangers has long maintained a year-round presence in mostly inaccessible ​Arctic communities. For three years, authorities in Greenland and Denmark have consulted with Canadian officials on how to set up their own version of the Rangers — conversations that grew more urgent with Trump’s threats and ‌growing fears of Russian hostility in the Arctic.

The rhetoric coming out of the White House has sped up efforts to rebuff the idea that Arctic communities need the U.S. to come in and save them,” said Whitney Lackenbauer, an honorary lieutenant-colonel Canadian Ranger involved in the talks, who spoke with Reuters during a recent 5,000-kilometer Arctic snowmobile trek by the Rangers. “The Nordic countries and Canada, we’re increasingly realizing we can come together in military and diplomatic ways to send a message that carries moral weight.”

As Canada attempts to pivot away from relying on the U.S. to protect its vast Arctic, Prime Minister ​Mark Carney is strengthening ties and exchanging security tips with the Nordic countries, which he describes as trusted partners. Canada's increased defense collaboration with the Nordics is part of Carney's effort to strengthen alliances between what he calls “middle powers” ​in a world where the United States is considered a less reliable partner.

The White House said Trump’s leadership has prompted allies “to recognize the need to meaningfully contribute to their own defense” and ⁠that the Arctic is a critical region for U.S. national security and the economy.

“The administration is participating in diplomatic high-level technical talks with the governments of Greenland and Denmark to address the United States’ national security interests in Greenland,” a White House ​spokesperson said in an email.

Alliances are shifting in the Arctic as climate change makes it more accessible. Russia has far more military bases than any other nation there and in recent years China has started to increase its presence in the mineral-rich area, mostly ​in partnership with Russia. While Carney says Canada will no longer rely on any other nation to protect its own territory, he says the Arctic’s greatest threat is from Russia – and the Nordics have been boosting their own defenses since Russia invaded Ukraine.