The Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries and Canada met in Oslo on March 15, 2026. The countries issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to cooperation at a time of heightened geopolitical tension, war, and crises. They are united in the view that international cooperation based on international law, shared values, and interests is the best way to strengthen common security and prosperity. The countries share fundamental values as democracies committed to the rule of law, human rights, and territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. They have agreed to deepen cooperation to ensure safety, security, and sovereignty of their people and build prosperous and green economies, and commit to meeting more regularly at different levels to advance shared principles and interests.
Arctic security emerged as a central focus, with the countries committed to ensuring people in their part of the world can prosper in peace. They will work in partnership with Indigenous and northern communities to unlock Arctic potential, prevent and mitigate climate change effects, and promote security. The Nordic countries and Canada are close allies and Arctic states working together to advance security and stability for all Allies in the strategically important Arctic region. They are committed to NATO's effort to bolster the Alliance's presence, deterrence, and defence in the Arctic and further develop strong collaboration. The countries welcome NATO's enhanced Vigilance Activity, Arctic Sentry, which strengthens NATO's posture in the Arctic and High North within SACEUR's area of responsibility, and welcome Exercise COLD RESPONSE, Operation NANOOK, Exercise Arctic Endurance, and similar exercises that build interoperability between participating armed forces.
Defense cooperation will be enhanced through industrial capacity building. The Nordic countries and Canada will enhance defence industrial capacity to ramp up defence production, strengthen capabilities, respond to hybrid threats, build resilient infrastructure, and develop interoperable, innovative, and dual-use technologies. The countries will continue to collaborate through military missions and activities such as NATO's Forward Land Forces in Finland, the Baltic States, and Poland to bolster NATO's eastern flank and deter Russian aggression.
Support for Ukraine remains unwavering. The countries' support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's illegal war of aggression is unwavering, with Ukraine's security integral to European and Euro-Atlantic Security. The countries will continue to provide economic, civilian, military, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and call on all members of the Coalition of the Willing to increase their support. They will continue coordination on overall assistance, including on sanctions to further restrict the Kremlin's ability to fund its illegal war.
The summit occurs alongside a JEF defense cooperation meeting. The ten countries in the JEF defense cooperation are meeting to discuss Ukraine's defense and security in the Arctic. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who gave a well-received speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January promoting a new approach based on 'value-based realism', will participate via remote connection in a JEF summit hosted by Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki, even though Canada is not a JEF member. JEF (Joint Expeditionary Force) is a UK-led multilateral defense cooperation framework including the UK, Finland, Netherlands, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Estonia. According to Ilta-Sanomat, the JEF summit's three key themes are support for Ukraine, Arctic security, and hybrid influence focusing on Russia's shadow fleet.
With a war in Ukraine, the U.S. lifting sanctions on Russia, and a war in the Middle East, countries like ours have to stand together.
Geopolitical context adds urgency to these discussions. The Arctic is increasingly vulnerable to espionage and influence attempts by Russia and China. U.S. President Donald Trump began threatening Greenland, contributing to developments in the Arctic, and has talked about making Canada the 51st state and making Greenland a U.S. territory. After returning to the White House in January last year, Trump launched a new security doctrine where the U.S. controls the Western Hemisphere. Regional dynamics between Russia and the West have deteriorated since the start of the war in Ukraine and due to Trump's threats to take over Greenland, and the Arctic has become a geopolitical 'hotspot' recently, not least due to Trump's repeated statements that the U.S. 'must have' Greenland.
Canada is seeking renewed Arctic leadership under Prime Minister Carney. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wants Canada to take leadership in the Arctic in a completely new way. Canada and the U.S. are the most significant Arctic countries, and Canada must now take leadership to defend its national security interests there. Canada neglected Arctic security for a long time until relatively new Prime Minister Carney said in Davos that in an era of isolation, Canada now seeks to build new relationships to meet the challenges of a fragmented geopolitical system. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January this year, Carney stepped forward as a resistance leader against American expansionism, urging middle powers to cooperate to avoid being overrun by great powers.
Nordic domestic political dynamics influence the summit timing. With just over a week left until the Danish election, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is leaving the country to attend a Nordic leaders' meeting in Oslo with Canadian PM Mark Carney. Danish Social Democratic PM Mette Frederiksen is going to the election on March 24 and hopes for the Trump effect. Swedish Moderate PM Ulf Kristersson is going to the election in September and also has an interest in presenting himself as a guarantor of stability and security. On Sunday, a Nordic summit is held with the prime ministers of Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark.
Historical cooperation provides a foundation for current efforts. This is the first time since the 1980s that a Canadian leader has visited Norway. In 2022, the governments in Ottawa and Copenhagen showed they can resolve border disputes peacefully by dividing uninhabited Hans Island west of Greenland into a Danish and a Canadian part, ending the playful 'whisky war'.
Climate change and economic interests drive Arctic engagement. The Arctic is warming three to four times faster than the planet, attracting interest as melting ice opens access to resources and new shipping routes. Norway and Canada are both oil producers in a global energy crisis. All members of NATO, the six countries said they would strengthen ties in defense, trade, low carbon energy, technology, and mineral resources.
We're all facing a growing list of challenges to Arctic security, changing warfare, technology, and conflicts moving closer.
A new Nordic transport preparedness agreement complements security efforts. The Nordic countries' transport systems should be able to be used safely and effectively across borders even in crisis and war, according to an agreement transport ministers made in Rovaniemi, Finland on March 11, 2026. The agreement is based on the Joint Nordic Strategy for Transport System Preparedness developed jointly by Nordic countries within the Nordic Transport Preparedness Cooperation (NTPC). Besides Nordic transport authorities, the Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, and their Nordic counterparts, participate in NTPC's work. The preparedness cooperation applies to all modes of transport: air, sea, rail, and road. Transport preparedness is not only a national issue but a common security issue where robust transport flows are crucial for both civil and military mobility and host nation support, and disruptions in one country have immediate consequences for neighboring countries.
Finland-Canada bilateral relations are strengthening concurrently. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen is visiting Canada on Monday and Tuesday, meeting Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Tuesday in Ottawa. The foreign ministers will discuss the strategic partnership between Finland and Canada, Arctic security, and other foreign and security policy issues. Finland and Canada concluded a strategic partnership in foreign and security policy in August 2025. Valtonen will also participate in President Alexander Stubb's working visit program in Ottawa and supports the visit's goals by participating in events like a Finnish business delegation event.
U.S. visits and international engagements by Finnish leaders are ongoing. Valtonen and Stubb are both visiting the U.S.; Valtonen meets U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday. Stubb participates in a Brookings Institution discussion on balancing the world order on Monday. Stubb and Valtonen also attended the Bilderberg meeting in Washington over the weekend, which brings together European and North American elites.
Germany's involvement and a Norway-Canada strategic agreement highlight broader alliances. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is visiting Northern Norway this week after an invitation from PM Jonas Gahr Støre, marking his first official visit to Norway. The agenda includes visits to Andøya Space and the military exercise Cold Response, with discussions on defense and security cooperation, the situation in Ukraine, and space cooperation. Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre and Canadian PM Mark Carney entered into an agreement on closer strategic cooperation, including in space. The two government leaders met in Oslo after Carney has been in Norway for some days under the NATO exercise Cold Response, and they entered into an agreement on strategic cooperation, as well as cooperation on digital sovereignty, space cooperation, and critical minerals.
Broader diplomatic discussions covered global issues beyond security. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre. The two leaders reaffirmed the deep relationship and ongoing collaboration between Canada and Norway, based on common values, interests, and priorities. The prime ministers shared concerns over Russia’s aggressive and destabilizing actions in and around Ukraine and underlined the need for Russia to engage constructively in diplomacy. Prime Minister Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s steadfast support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, commended the strength of the NATO Alliance and its unity, and emphasized the importance of continued coordination and dialogue between Allies and partners. The two leaders emphasized the right of every country to choose its own security arrangements. Prime Minister Trudeau commended Prime Minister Støre and Norway’s leadership in hosting the upcoming Global Disability Summit on February 16 and 17, underlined that inclusive development for all marginalized groups, including persons with disabilities, is an important part of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy, and the prime ministers stressed the importance of continuing to work with the international community to address ongoing human rights issues in Afghanistan, which are overwhelmingly affecting women and girls. They discussed the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for continued international cooperation to increase global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Prime Minister Trudeau commended Norway for its global leadership on pollution pricing, and both leaders committed to tackling the climate crisis together, moving to a net-zero future, and working to create good middle-class jobs for people and new opportunities for businesses in both countries.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre provides continuity in leadership. Jonas Gahr Støre is the current Prime Minister of Norway since 14 October 2021. Støre has visited 27 countries during his tenure as Prime Minister and participated in summits during his premiership.