Global Courant
VESTMANNAEYJAR, ICELAND –
Sweden’s bid to join NATO’s military alliance will be discussed today at a meeting of Nordic leaders in Iceland, in the presence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau meets privately with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on the sidelines of the annual Nordic leaders’ summit, which Canada’s leader attends as a guest.
The two-day event follows a weekend of military chaos in Russia and comes just ahead of the annual summit of NATO leaders scheduled for mid-July in Lithuania.
The Nordic nations have all supported Ukraine as it defends against Russia’s invasion.
The war, which began more than 16 months ago, also led both Sweden and Finland to abandon their decades-long policy of neutrality and apply to join NATO.
Canada was the first to support both bids and Finland was admitted in April, but Turkey and Hungary have both delayed their approval of Sweden’s acceptance.
In addition to his bilateral meeting with Kristersson today, Trudeau will sit down with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
He met with the prime ministers of Denmark, Iceland and Finland on Sunday as the summit kicked off.
Saturday’s brief armed uprising in Russia by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin loomed over the gathering in Iceland. It put security at the top of the agenda for a group of countries that share the Arctic with Russia and are increasingly concerned about stability in the region and the impact of climate change.
Scientists say the Arctic is experiencing some of the most acute effects of a warming planet, with defense experts adding that the melting ice is opening up new access to the region, while aggressive powers like Russia and China are taking note.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 26, 2023.
