Trump Voices Concern Over Canada’s Arctic Sovereignty
The US president has grown increasingly outspoken in closed-door meetings with his team in recent weeks, claiming Ottawa fails to adequately defend against what he characterizes as Russian or Chinese intrusion into the Arctic, the unnamed officials disclosed. He contends Canada must dramatically increase defense expenditures.
Both Beijing and Moscow have dismissed these assertions. China previously condemned the American leader for wielding such arguments as a "pretext" for Arctic expansion, while Russia has maintained long-standing opposition to militarizing the region, advocating instead for peaceful international collaboration there.
"Trump is really worried about the US continuing to drift in the Western Hemisphere and is focused on this," one official told media.
A separate senior administration official described the objective as "solidifying" hemispheric control under American authority, with reinforcing Canada's Arctic frontier serving as a central component of that strategy.
Officials emphasized, however, that unlike the overt campaign to acquire Greenland, no proposals exist to purchase Canadian territory or deploy American forces along its northern perimeter. The administration's approach centers on compelling Ottawa to strengthen its own defensive infrastructure and expand bilateral military collaboration—including intensified joint exercises, additional patrol operations, and modernized early-warning technology.
"They certainly need to up their game when it comes to Arctic capabilities," one official said. "The status quo is not enough."
These American demands have amplified existing anxieties across Canada that the nation might represent Washington's next geopolitical objective following the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Trump's public discussion of annexing Greenland, media reported last week.
During a recent trip to Beijing, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney remarked that engagement with China had grown "more predictable" than navigating the increasingly turbulent alliance with Washington. Carney has also aligned himself with European partners, declaring that Greenland's sovereignty remains exclusively a decision for Greenland and Denmark, while voicing "concern" regarding Trump's tariff threats connected to the island territory.
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