British Defence Secretary John Healey and his Norwegian counterpart, Tore Sandvik, met on February 20 at Norway’s Joint Headquarters near Bodø, in the Arctic. The talks marked the first bilateral defense agreement aimed at countering Russia’s growing threat in the region, Politico reported.
The agreement outlines increased military cooperation between the UK and Norway, including efforts to safeguard undersea cables, which have faced growing threats of sabotage since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
European officials have raised concerns over ships traveling to and from Russian ports, suspecting them of targeting key infrastructure, particularly in the Baltic Sea.
During the meeting, Healey emphasized Norway’s role as one of the UK’s closest allies. “We will create a new era of defense partnership that will bring us closer together than ever before as we tackle growing threats, strengthen NATO and enhance our security in the High North,” he said.
He also stated that Britain intends to “play a leading role” in ensuring European security and warned adversaries that, “We are united in our determination to defend our interests.”
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump recently claimed that Russia holds leverage in negotiations due to its occupation of 20% of Ukrainian territory.
