Britain is ‘stepping up on Arctic security’, Yvette Cooper says amid Trump threats to annex Greenland
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK was focused on Arctic security during a tour of Scandinavia.
His visit comes amid ongoing concerns about the US threat to annex Greenland and underscores the strategic importance of the region.
Ms Cooper is also preparing to advocate for increased NATO efforts to defend the High North from Russian aggression.
During his visit to Finland and Norway on Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet with Finnish border guards and British Royal Marines at Norway’s Viking Camp base.
Ms Cooper said the government was “strengthening its diplomatic and security commitments to the region”.
Ahead of the trip, he said: “The UK is increasing the security of the Arctic. We are working with our allies to strengthen the defenses of the Arctic and deter initiatives by the likes of Vladimir Putin that threaten our interests and infrastructure.”
He added: “We see it as our responsibility and duty to tackle these challenges head on, making us all safer in the process.
“Arctic security is a transatlantic partnership issue critical to the security of Britain and NATO. Coming together as an alliance allows us to remain united and overcome this emerging threat.”
But while Ms. Cooper’s visit is billed as focusing on Arctic security, it is overshadowed by Donald Trump’s insistence that the United States must seize Greenland to prevent Russia or China from taking over the region.
Mr Trump’s administration has threatened to use force to annex Greenland, a semi-autonomous region of NATO ally Denmark, raising concerns about the future of the transatlantic alliance.
On Tuesday, Greenland’s Energy Minister Naaja Nathanielsen told a press conference in Westminster that the region “has no intention of becoming American” and feels “betrayed” by the United States.
But while he warned that “we would all be under attack” if the US invaded Greenland, he argued that Greenland wanted a “peaceful solution” and was open to greater security inspections or expanded NATO deployment.
The UK appears to have stepped up discussions on Arctic security since the US became more vocal about annexing Greenland at the beginning of 2026, with Sir Keir Starmer touching on the issue in talks with Mr Trump, the Danish prime minister and NATO secretary-general last week.
