Canada, six other countries pull back from Arctic Council in protest over Ukraine
Seven countries that ring the North Pole have pulled back from the international body that seeks to build co-operation on the development of the Arctic in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Canada, the United States, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and Finland announced Thursday that they won’t participate in the work of the council or attend any of its meetings until further notice. The only other member state is Russia, which currently leads the council.
“Our representatives will not travel to Russia for meetings of the Arctic Council,” said a joint statement from the seven countries. “Additionally, our states are temporarily pausing participation in all meetings of the council and its subsidiary bodies.”
The Arctic Council has been the main group fostering international co-operation in the Arctic since its founding in Ottawa in 1996. Although it doesn’t have treaty-making powers, its work has led to important agreements on search and rescue, oil spill preparedness and scientific co-operation.