Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joins fellow Nordic leaders to take part in a photo in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, Sunday, June 25, 2023. Sweden's bid to join the NATO military alliance will be discussed today at a meeting of Nordic leaders in Iceland with Trudeau in attendance. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
VESTMANNAEYJAR, ICELAND – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the leaders of Nordic countries on Monday in expressing concern over the potential effects of this weekend’s short-lived uprising in Russia, while stressing that their support for Ukraine remains steadfast.
“We had obviously very serious conversations about possible implications of the internal challenges that Russia is facing,” Trudeau said at a joint news conference with Nordic prime ministers in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, where he was a special guest at their annual meeting.
“It is their internal challenges,” he said. “But our strength in continuing to stand for Ukraine “¦ to defend the values of democracy and openness and territorial integrity and sovereignty that define not just our approaches, but the United Nations’ approach to the rules-based order, remains consistent.”
A brief armed revolt in Russia over the weekend by Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the mercenary paramilitary organization called the Wagner Group, has loomed large over the two-day gathering in Iceland, pushing security to the top of the agenda for the countries.
Prigozhin, who is feuding with Russia’s top military leaders, had led his troops through several Russian cities on his way to Moscow on Saturday, but changed his mind, following an alleged deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin that saw him exiled to Belarus.
Russian state media reported Monday about a video released of Sergei Shoigu, the country’s defence minister whom Prigozhin’s rebellion had targeted, showing him inspecting troops in Ukraine. It was the first time he had been seen on video since the revolt.
The meeting is also taking place ahead of the annual NATO leaders’ summit scheduled for mid-July in Lithuania. Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance, which Canada supports, was also the subject of discussions in Iceland.
Trudeau met privately with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on the sidelines of the annual Nordic leaders’ summit on Monday.
“Ulf, it is a point of pride for Canadians that we were the first to ratify your accession to NATO. There’s still a lot of work to be done, we need to make sure that we get you in by Vilnius in a couple of weeks,” Trudeau told Kristersson.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that he will call an urgent meeting in the coming days to try to overcome Turkish objections to Sweden joining the military organization.
NATO requires the unanimous approval of all members to expand. Turkey accuses Sweden of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish groups and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt.
The Nordic leaders met in Iceland around the theme of “societal resilience” at the site of a 1973 volcanic eruption.
Leaders have said that sentiment remains amid the current geopolitical tumult and challenge of protecting the environment from the damages 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.
After his day of meetings and a so-called “family photo” of the participating leaders, Trudeau was set to tour a geothermal plant and visit a carbon capture and storage company, Carbfix, alongside KatrÃn Jakobsdóttir, Iceland’s prime minister.
Canada is looking to boost its capacity for carbon capture and storage technology, particularly in Western Canada, as a way to slash emissions from its oil and gas region.
– With files from The Associated Press.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2023.
