12 European nations have urged the European Union to scale up its presence in the Arctic amid threats from Moscow and US President Donald Trump.
"We call for the European Union to take on a more strategic and proactive role in the European Arctic," the countries wrote in a joint statement following the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi in northern Finland.
The summit was attended by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, among others.
Finland, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden all called on the union to commit to strengthening its Arctic engagement "with adequate resources and in line with evolving geopolitical realities."
Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, said the bloc had to remain "vigilant" in the face of increasing Russian military activity in the Arctic, as well as China's growing interest in the region.
