All posts tagged: Arctic Ocean

Mette Frederiksen clings on — offering lessons for Europe’s left – POLITICO

Mette Frederiksen clings on — offering lessons for Europe’s left – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Now, fraught coalition talks will begin, with control in Copenhagen likely hinging on which direction Rasmussen — the current foreign minister and leader of the Moderates party — will swing. His party has enough seats to hand power to Frederiksen, or to Venstre’s Troels Lund Poulsen atop the blue bloc.  Rasmussen called on both Poulsen and Frederiksen to “drop the trench warfare” after they spent much of the campaign attacking one another, despite serving in the coalition government together. “Come down and join us. You’re standing out by the corner flags; we’re in the middle. Come and play with us,” he said Tuesday night. But Poulsen has ruled out forming a government with Frederiksen again, instead making a plea to Rasmussen to help form a conservative government. After Denmark’s last parliamentary election in 2022, it took 42 days to form a government, when the results were far more clear-cut than what was produced by Tuesday’s vote.  Complicating the negotiations, the Red-Green Alliance — part of Frederiksen’s red bloc — has said it won’t join any …

Iceland to hold Aug. 29 referendum on reviving EU membership talks – POLITICO

Iceland to hold Aug. 29 referendum on reviving EU membership talks – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In recent months, Iceland — which occupies a strategically important position in the Arctic, but has no standing army — had explored expediting a referendum on the subject of reviving talks, as POLITICO reported last month. Polls show a clear majority of Icelanders support holding a referendum on resuming talks, though the population is more evenly split on whether Iceland should actually join the EU. The EU’s Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos played up the bloc’s attraction as a security guarantor in a time of geopolitical upheaval.   “A significant decision now lies ahead for the Icelandic people,” Kos said Friday in a post on X. “In a world that is changing fast, the European Union offers an anchor in a community of values, prosperity and security.”   If the referendum is successful, Iceland would need to go to another vote once it finishes accession negotiations to actually join the bloc. Zoya Sheftalovich contributed to this report.  Source link

Trump’s a T-Rex and ‘pathetic’ leaders need to confront him, rages California’s Newsom – POLITICO

Trump’s a T-Rex and ‘pathetic’ leaders need to confront him, rages California’s Newsom – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Newsom, who is one of the highest-profile Trump critics in America, confirmed last fall he is thinking about running for president in 2028. The California governor would be a leading contender to secure the Democratic nomination. He was cajoling European leaders after Trump belligerently stepped up his threats to seize Greenland in recent days, announcing that he will will impose 10 percent tariffs on eight countries that have opposed the sale of Greenland to the U.S.  Heads of government in Europe are scrambling to find a response that will cool the situation — as Trump ratchets up his own belligerent rhetoric. The U.S. president posted overnight that he’d spoken to NATO chief Mark Rutte, agreed to a meeting in Davos with key players on Greenland — then leaked a text message from French President Emmanuel Macron, shared a map of the Western Hemisphere showing Canada (and Venezuela) as American, and berated Britain for ceding a military base in the Indian Ocean. In another message Trump shared on Truth Social, NATO boss Mark Rutte sent him a …

Chill out, this is fine – POLITICO

Chill out, this is fine – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Last week, NATO countries asked the alliance to look into options for securing the Arctic, including shifting more military assets to the region and holding more military exercises in Greenland’s vicinity. The U.K. and Germany are reportedly in talks to send troops to the self-ruling Danish territory in an attempt to assuage Washington’s concerns. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Monday also said the territory would “increase its efforts to ensure that the defense of Greenland takes place under the auspices of NATO.” Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, speaking alongside Rutte, said that “allies have to respect each other, including the U.S. as the largest NATO member.” But Rutte also heaped praise on the U.S. president, underscoring the near-impossible tightrope he continues to tread as he attempts to speak for all 32 members of the alliance. “Donald Trump is doing the right things for NATO by encouraging us all to spend more to equalize this,” he said, referencing the alliance’s defense spending target of 5 percent of GDP, agreed last year after intense pressure from Trump. “As …

Nordic officials reportedly dismiss Trump’s Greenland claims – POLITICO

Nordic officials reportedly dismiss Trump’s Greenland claims – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Trump has claimed that Greenland is “covered with Russian and Chinese ships” and argued that the U.S. must take control of the island for national security reasons — rhetoric that has intensified in recent weeks. Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide also told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that there was “very little” Russian or Chinese activity near Greenland, despite ongoing Russian submarine movements closer to Norway itself. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, meanwhile, said at an annual security conference in northern Sweden that Stockholm was “highly critical” of what the Trump administration was doing and had done in Venezuela, in regards to international law. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speaking at a national security conference, Jan. 11, 2026. | Henrik Montgomery/TT/various sources/AFP via Getty Images “We are probably even more critical of the rhetoric that is being expressed against Greenland and Denmark,” Kristersson added, explaining that the rules-based international order is under greater strain than it has been in decades. Kristersson said the U.S. should recognize Denmark’s long-standing role as a loyal ally, instead of agitating …

France and Germany scurry to resist Trump’s Greenland threats – POLITICO

France and Germany scurry to resist Trump’s Greenland threats – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In recent days, Trump has reiterated his claims to Greenland — a self-ruling Danish territory — following a separate U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro last weekend. On Tuesday, eight of Europe’s top leaders insisted Greenland’s security must be ensured collectively by NATO and with full respect to the wishes of its people. Officials in Berlin said discussions on how to practically safeguard Greenland’s sovereignty were ongoing on Wednesday following talks on the topic between European leaders and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Paris the day before. Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is working on a plan with his counterparts that could include European deterrence in the event the U.S. would try to attack or seize Greenland, as well as increased NATO presence in Greenland’s direct vicinity, a German government spokesperson said. Last year, Barrot didn’t rule out sending French troops to the island but it never materialized. The French minister tried to downplay the risks of American military aggression against Greenland, saying that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured him …