Rubio ties US military expansion in Iceland to Reykjavik’s consent
Marco Rubio said the United States would not expand its military presence or build military infrastructure in Iceland without the government’s consent. The pledge came at a joint press conference in Reykjavik as the allies discussed Arctic security and economic cooperation. Iceland’s foreign minister stressed sovereignty and the strength of their long-running defence relationship.
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Reykjavik’s approval is the condition for expansion
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 6 October that Washington would not expand its military presence or build military infrastructure in Iceland without the government’s consent. He spoke at a joint press conference in Reykjavik with Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir. Asked about a possible military buildup, he stressed cooperation with Icelandic officials and said there was willingness to do more together. No particular new base agreement or additional force deployment was announced.[1], [2]
Arctic security drives the cooperation agenda
Rubio emphasised Iceland’s location between the North Atlantic and Arctic. He described military, economic and infrastructure threats as growing and said Washington was open to closer cooperation. Gunnarsdottir stressed Iceland’s sovereignty and said the defence relationship remained strong. She recalled protesting President Trump’s earlier map showing Iceland under an American flag. Talks also covered data centres, pharmaceutical production, Ukraine and the Middle East.[1]
A long-standing defence agreement frames the visit
Iceland belongs to NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization defence alliance, but has no standing army. The allies are marking the 75th anniversary of their 1951 defence agreement. Rubio also met Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir and visited Höfdi, the site of the 1986 summit between Reagan and Gorbachev. Alongside defence, the ministers discussed commercial cooperation. Gunnarsdottir said tariffs were not specifically addressed during their talks.[1]
