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Nato Arctic defence needed against Russia, says Cooper

James LandaleDiplomatic correspondent
News imagePA A woman dressed in a dark coat, navy gloves and cream hat stands looking above a pair of binoculars she is holding, She stands surrounded by several soldiers dressed in snow-white uniform, armed with camo belts and guns. The group appear to be in a snowy forest. PA
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was visiting northern Norway to see an operation involving British and Norwegian soldiers

Nato should "double down" on Arctic security to defend the region from Russian aggression, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has told the BBC.

On a visit to British forces in northern Norway, she said the alliance should establish a combined operation - known as Arctic Sentry - to defend the region, just as it does in the Baltic Sea.

She also said allies, including the US, should unite around the shared threat despite continuing disagreements over Greenland.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in buying mineral-rich Greenland, with the White House failing to rule out the use of force to annex it.

His demands have been rejected by Greenland's leaders and by Nato member Denmark, of which the island is a semi-autonomous territory.

Cooper was joined by her Norwegian counterpart, Espen Barth Eide, who said the row between Europe and the US over Greenland was a "distraction" from the greater security threat in Ukraine.

The Foreign Secretary said: "The Arctic is the gateway for Russia's Northern Fleet to be able to threaten the United Kingdom, to threaten Western Europe and Norway, to threaten the United States and Canada.

"So it's a whole transatlantic security depends on our Arctic security," she added.

Cooper explained that Nato needs to "double down" and "do what we've done in other areas", to make sure that "we really strengthen the security of the high north".

Asked what that meant in practical terms, she explained she wanted "co-ordinated excercises, operations and intellgience sharing" in the region - similar to the Baltic Sentry and the Eastern Sentry - coining it Arctic Sentry.

News imagePA Media A woman dressed in a dark brown coat, navy blue gloves, blue trousers, brown boots and a helmet walks alongside a man in dark brown trousers, a dark brown jacket, boots and a helmet. Behind them, soldiers wearing camo unfiform disembark from a helicopter. The tarmac is snowy and the sky is grey.PA Media
Cooper was joined by her Norwegian counterpart, Espen Barth Eide

Cooper said Russia was a threat not just to Europe but to transatlantic security and said "co-operation would make the alliance stronger" despite divisions over Greenland.

"We've been very clear that the future of Greenland is for the Greenlanders and for the Danes.

"Where I think there is shared agreement is about this Arctic security, this broader threat, and the need, really, for all of our countries to come together as part of that Nato alliance."

She explained that "this is how we deal with Russian threat, which affects us all".

News imageMoose Campbell/BBC A woman and man sat in dark clothing with helmets on, on-board a helicopter. Behind the pair are two emegency exit signs.Moose Campbell/BBC
Cooper visited Norway as part of a wider tour of Scandanavia

Meanwhile, Eide welcomed Cooper's call for Arctic Sentry, saying it would demonstrate a "serious commitment" to tackle the most challenging issue, namely the Russian threat to the seas of the high north.

But when asked if he was worried about disagreements between Denmark and the US over Greenland, he said: "Put it this way - two days ago, I was in a shelter in Kiev, and I was engaged with the highest leadership in Ukraine in several meetings.

"I think we should try to avoid the distractions from what is the issue number one these days, we need to help Ukraine to get well out of this war, to get to a just and lasting peace, because that is matters to transatlantic and European security more than anything else."

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