Norway drives maritime security pact at NATO summit in Ankara

During the NATO summit in Ankara, Norway spearheaded a new maritime cooperation initiative involving Canada and twelve European nations—including Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The pact aims to tighten allied intelligence, defence, navigation, communications and anti‑submarine warfare across the North Atlantic, Arctic and Baltic seas, with coordination alongside the United States.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also noted a markedly different tone from U.S. President Donald Trump compared with the previous year. Støre said the President emphasized a focus on Ukraine, discussed a potential licence for Ukraine to produce its own Patriot air‑defence missiles, and held a brief conversation with both Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Norwegian foreign minister warned that Russia might increase hybrid threats, though a direct attack on NATO territory was deemed unlikely.