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France's Macron holds Norway talks on eve of NATO summit
Oslo, June 23 (AFP) Jun 23, 2025
French President Emmanuel Macron held talks Monday with Norwegian officials on a brief trip on the eve of a crucial NATO summit in the Netherlands, as tensions rise in the resource-rich Arctic region.

Last week, the French leader paid a visit to Greenland, where he criticised US counterpart Donald Trump for threatening to annex the Danish territory.

During the Norway trip, Macron's office said he would once again underline "France's commitment to the Nordic and Arctic region, particularly with security".

Trump has repeatedly said America needs to take Greenland for security reasons -- and he has refused to rule out the use of force.

Trump's threats to annex the territory of a NATO ally are likely to make for tricky talks as leaders of the 32 members gather in The Hague for the two-day meeting starting Tuesday.

The flagship announcement will be an agreement pushed by Trump for all members to boost defence spending to five percent of GDP.

However, many NATO members see Russia as their greatest threat as the war rages in Ukraine but Trump has long cosied up to President Vladimir Putin.

And the US decision to launch strikes on Iran over the weekend in support of Israel has divided Europe's NATO members.

Germany is strongly backing the US move but others -- including Norway -- have said it broke international law.

Macron met Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store for talks and the two countries are due to sign a strategic partnership deal on defence and energy, and a separate agreement on carbon capture.

Nordic nations are also locked in a competition for resources and territory in the Arctic -- with China, Russia, the US, Canada and northern European countries all staking a claim.


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