8 Women Senators Tour 4 Arctic Nations to Reassure Allies as Trump Strains Regional Ties
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 22
8 Women Senators Tour 4 Arctic Nations to Reassure Allies as Trump Strains Regional Ties
14 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 22
Eight senators — all women and split evenly between Republicans and Democrats — depart Friday for Canada, Greenland, Svalbard and Iceland on a diplomatic Arctic tour.
Lisa Murkowski and Jeanne Shaheen said the trip aims to reassure allies and identify congressional support after President Donald Trump took a more unilateral Arctic approach.
That tension sharpened this week when the Pentagon paused U.S. participation in a joint continental-defense board with Canada that dates to World War II.
The delegation will also inspect military operating challenges in extreme cold and meet Indigenous communities facing climate-driven change across remote Arctic regions.
The visit comes as NATO pushes more High North cooperation while Russia and China expand activity and melting ice raises the Arctic's trade and resource stakes.
How can NATO defend the demilitarized Svalbard archipelago from increasing Russian military threats without violating international treaties?
As the U.S. seeks new military bases, can Greenland secure its economic independence without sacrificing sovereignty?