Iceland’s foreign minister warns of pro-Russia sentiment

Iceland’s Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir says she is concerned about what she calls pro-Russia sentiment in Icelandic society and criticises former President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson for echoing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s criticism of NATO activity in the Arctic, mbl.is reports.

In an interview with Páll Magnússon on Bylgjan’s Sprengisandur programme, Gunnarsdóttir said she supported the decision by her predecessor, Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, to close Iceland’s embassy in Moscow in 2023. Given the circumstances at the time, she said, she would probably have made the same decision.

She cited security threats faced by embassy staff and criticised a Centre Party MP for comments she said played down those risks.

Gunnarsdóttir said she was troubled by influential people in Iceland expressing what she described as “too much accommodation” toward Russia. She said it was “terrible” to see a former Icelandic president agreeing with Lavrov, who criticised NATO’s Arctic Sentry surveillance operation. She said it was important for Iceland to stand with NATO and support its allies.

NATO launched Arctic Sentry in February to strengthen defence and security in the Arctic. Lavrov criticised the operation in August, saying the alliance’s increased military activity in the region posed a direct threat to Russia’s security.

Gunnarsdóttir said she had great respect for Ólafur Ragnar but found his approach to Russia difficult to accept. She also criticised his reported response to Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, saying he had criticised Norway for its strong reaction. She objected as well to his past remarks about Eastern European countries joining NATO, and said states’ sovereignty and right to decide their own future should be respected, rather than restricted out of concern about how Russian President Vladimir Putin might respond.

Ólafur Ragnar drew attention on 31 August by sharing Lavrov’s article on X. He described it as a key document for people interested in Arctic affairs and international politics.