Sweden’s NATO membership bid on the agenda as Trudeau, Nordic leaders meet in Iceland

By Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press on June 26, 2023.

VESTMANNAEYJAR, ICELAND – Sweden’s bid to join the NATO military alliance will be discussed today at a meeting of Nordic leaders in Iceland, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in attendance.

Trudeau is scheduled to meet privately with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on the sidelines of the annual Nordic leaders’ summit, which Canada’s leader is attending as a guest.

The two-day event follows a weekend of military chaos in Russia and comes just ahead of the annual NATO leaders’ summit scheduled for mid-July in Lithuania.

The Nordic nations have all backed Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s invasion.

The war, which began more than 16 months ago, also prompted both Sweden and Finland to abandon their decades-long policies of neutrality and apply to join NATO.

Canada was the first to back both bids and Finland was admitted in April, but Turkey and Hungary have both held out approval for Sweden’s acceptance.

In addition to his bilateral meeting with Kristersson today, Trudeau will sit down with Jonas Gahr Støre, the prime minister of Norway.

He met with the prime ministers of Denmark, Iceland and Finland on Sunday as the summit got underway.

Saturday’s brief armed revolt in Russia by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has loomed large over the gathering in Iceland. It pushed security to the top of the agenda for a group of nations who share the Arctic with Russia and have growing concerns about stability in the region and the affects of climate change.

Scientists say the Arctic is experiencing some of the most acute effects of a warming planet, with defence experts adding the melting ice opens up new access to the region while aggressive powers like Russia and China take note.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2023.

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