UK and Norway begin talks on new defence agreement
Defence Secretary John Healey and his counterpart, Tore Sandvik, met at the Norwegian Joint Headquarters near Bodo.
The UK and Norway have started negotiations on a new defence pact aimed at combatting the threat from Russia in the Arctic.
Defence Secretary John Healey and his counterpart, Tore Sandvik, kickstarted the talks as they met at Norwegian Joint Headquarters, a fortress tunnelled deep into the side of a mountain.
Moves towards the major defence agreement come as European countries continue to reel from the sharp shift in US foreign policy towards Ukraine.
President Donald Trump has urged European nations to spend more on their own money on defence, and has locked Nato partners out of initial peace talks over the future of Ukraine with Russia.
The new UK-Norwegian defence agreement will see closer co-operation between the two nations’ defence industries, and closer working between their armed forces, including on protecting undersea cables from sabotage.
Defence Secretary Mr Healey said: “Kickstarting work on a deep, ambitious new defence agreement with Norway shows the UK promise to step up on European security in action.
“Norway remains one of the UK’s most important allies. We will create a new era of defence partnership to bring us closer than ever before as we tackle increasing threats, strengthen Nato, and boost our security in the High North.
“The UK is determined to play a leadership role on European security, supporting the foundations for our security and prosperity at home and showing our adversaries that we are united in our determination to protect our interests.”
Speaking alongside his Norwegian counterpart, the Defence Secretary hailed the “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to deepen the UK’s partnership with Norway.
The agreement will be concluded by the summer, he added, and he insisted both nations will “step up further” their support to Ukraine.
Norwegian minister Mr Sandvik focused on the threat of Russia sabotaging undersea cables and other infrastructure.
“Any activities that damage seabed infrastructure, including undersea cables, especially during periods of heightened tensions, risk understandings and misperceptions that could lead to unintended escalation,” he warned.
Surveillance subs are being used to track Russian activities, Mr Sandvik said, adding: “By using our advanced capabilities to monitor our underwater infrastructure, we are able to send a message to anyone who may intend to cause harm to our critical national infrastructure that we will see you.”
Mr Healey’s visit to the High North – loosely defined as the area contained within the territories of the Arctic countries – saw him visit a British vessel, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Proteus, currently docked in the town of Bodo, which will join Norwegian ships on exercise in the Baltic Sea.
Proteus was involved in shadowing the Yantar, a Russian spy vessel which was tracked by British forces as it was caught loitering over undersea infrastructure in UK waters last autumn.
