SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
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 during a brief trip on the eve of a crucial NATO summit, 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.

Most 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 were due to sign a strategic partnership deal on defence and energy.

The two nations also signed an agreement on carbon capture, which would allow France, which does not have any carbon dioxide storage sites, to ship it abroad for storage.

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.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
AI systems proposed to boost launch cadence reliability and traffic management
China debuts Long March 12A reusable rocket in Jiuquan test flight
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4750-4762: See You on the Other Side of the Sun

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Redesigned carbon framework boosts battery safety and power
Molecular catalyst switches between hydrogen and oxygen production
Project Pele microreactor reaches key milestone with first TRISO fuel delivery

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
SDA expands Tracking Layer satellite awards and related missile defense contracts
Space Systems Command activates System Delta 80 for assured space access
Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions to provide SAR reconnaissance data to German military

24/7 News Coverage
OPERA satellite data sharpens US crop and water management
Alen Space begins SATMAR satellite validation over Bay of Algeciras
Deep Arctic gas hydrate mounds host ultra deep cold seep ecosystem



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.