12 EU leaders call for bigger Arctic role against Russia

 The leaders of 12 EU nations called for a stronger European presence in the Arctic, warning that rising tensions with Russia and the consequences of its "war of aggression" against Ukraine, as well as climate change, were reshaping the region's strategic environment.

"We call for the European Union to take on a more strategic and proactive role in the European Arctic and commit to strengthening the Union's Arctic engagement in a coherent and forward-looking manner with adequate resources and in line with evolving geopolitical realities," the countries wrote in a joint statement on Monday, following the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi in northern Finland.

EU leaders further described the Arctic as strategically "important" to Euro-Atlantic security and said Russia poses a "significant and long-term threat" to said security. They also called for stronger monitoring, maritime awareness, intelligence sharing, and preparedness across Europe's northern regions.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/12-EU-leaders-call-for-bigger-Arctic-role-against-Russia/67100431