{"id":695248,"date":"2026-01-14T11:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T11:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/695248\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T11:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T11:18:10","slug":"we-must-strengthen-arctic-defences-to-deter-putin-foreign-secretary-says-during-arctic-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/695248\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;We must strengthen Arctic defences to deter Putin&#8217; Foreign Secretary says during Arctic visit"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Foreign Secretary says \u201cArctic security is critical to protecting Britain and NATO\u201d\u00a0as she pledges support for allies on visit to High North\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Yvette Cooper\u00a0to\u00a0call for NATO to step up\u00a0its work in the Arctic\u00a0as she visits Finland and Norway\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>UK at forefront of Arctic Security as climate change turns region into a hotspot for geopolitical competition and a critical flank for security\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Foreign Secretary is touring the Arctic Circle to see UK efforts to bolster regional security and to highlight the importance of stronger challenge against hostile states who\u00a0seek\u00a0to meddle in the High North.\u00a0Travelling to\u00a0Finland and Norway,\u00a0she will\u00a0call\u00a0on NATO to step up its work in the Arctic to protect Euro-Atlantic interests in the region.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The High North is home to key shipping routes and vital critical national infrastructure such as undersea cables, is key to the UK\u2019s security,\u00a0prosperity\u00a0and environment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In Finland, the Foreign Secretary will\u00a0meet Border Guards defending NATO\u2019s\u00a0eastern flank\u00a0with Russia. In Norway, she will\u00a0visit\u00a0Royal Marines\u00a0taking part\u00a0in a\u00a0live training demonstration at\u00a0Camp Viking.\u00a0The\u00a0military base\u00a0acts as the\u00a0year-round\u00a0operations hub for the UK Commando Force,\u00a0providing\u00a0essential\u00a0cold weather\u00a0training\u00a0for up to 1500 personnel. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The UK and Norway share a determination to ensure Russia\u00a0does not succeed\u00a0in its illegal war of aggression. Sanctions against the Shadow Fleet by the UK and partners have anchored an estimated 200 ships.\u00a0Norway\u00a0recently\u00a0selected the UK\u00a0to supply\u00a0them\u00a0with Type 26 frigates designed for anti-submarine warfare in the deal worth \u00a310 billion. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This Government is set to\u00a0significantly increase\u00a0defence\u00a0spending\u00a0to 2.6% from April 2027,\u00a0with\u00a0an ambition of 3% in the next parliament.\u00a0This is a generational increase in defence and security spending, underlining the UK\u2019s commitment to national security and honouring the\u00a0UK\u2019s\u00a0commitment to be a leader in NATO.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The UK has also long been a leader in the Joint Expeditionary Force\u00a0with 10\u00a0like-minded nations\u00a0committed to security in the High North. The JEF\u00a0recently\u00a0conducted its largest military activity to date \u2013\u00a0Tarassis\u00a0\u2013 which saw thousands of troops, including over 1,700 British personnel, dozens of ships,\u00a0vehicles\u00a0and\u00a0aircraft\u00a0deployed from the Baltics to Iceland.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Britain is stepping up on Arctic security. With our allies we are working to strengthen Arctic defences and deter any attempts from the likes of Vladimir Putin to threaten our interests and our infrastructure. As climate change opens the Arctic, the region will become an ever more critical frontier for NATO. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The UK has a long and committed bond with our Allies in the Arctic Circle.\u00a0\u00a0Our world class Royal Marine Commandos have been training alongside Nordic partners for over half a century. This government is reinforcing our diplomatic and security commitment to the region.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"last-child\">We see it as our responsibility and our duty to tackle these challenges head on, making us all safer in the process. Arctic security is a critical transatlantic partnership issue for the security of Britain and NATO. Coming together as an alliance allows us to unify and tackle this emerging threat.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Russia\u2019s actions pose the greatest threat to Arctic security, through efforts to militarise the region, continued threat to undersea infrastructure and using its reckless and illegal Shadow Fleet which pose a\u00a0systemic threat to maritime security globally.<\/p>\n<p>As warming seas unlock the Northern Sea Route,\u00a0other state actors are\u00a0seeking\u00a0to grow\u00a0their\u00a0sphere of\u00a0influence further afield.\u00a0Climate change\u00a0developments are\u00a0shaping\u00a0the High North,\u00a0creating new shipping\u00a0routes\u00a0and\u00a0exposing resources, turning the\u00a0region into a hotspot for geopolitical competition and a critical flank for European and UK security.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The visit comes as the Government has boosted its defences with Nordic partners.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Last month, the UK and Norway signed a defence agreement that will see British and Norwegian navies operating side-by-side in the North Atlantic to protect critical infrastructure from Russian submarines.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And last week, the UK provided support to the United States to interdict the vessel Bella 1, accused of Shadow Fleet activities. UK armed forces provided pre-planned operational support, including basing, to U.S. military assets interdicting the Bella 1 between the UK and Iceland.<\/p>\n<p>Media enquiries<\/p>\n<p>Email\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/mailto:newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Telephone 020 7008 3100<\/p>\n<p>Email the FCDO Newsdesk (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Foreign Secretary says \u201cArctic security is critical to protecting Britain and NATO\u201d\u00a0as she pledges support for allies on&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[748,393,4884,1144,712,16,15,1764],"class_list":{"0":"post-695248","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uk","8":"category-united-kingdom","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-northern-ireland","13":"tag-scotland","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-wales"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115893182915469015","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}