Waters around Norwegian archipelago of interest to Russia and USPeople on Svalbard (population 3,000) are going about their daily lives despite speculation the Norwegian archipelago could be the next Arctic territory coveted by Washington. “Today Greenland, tomorrow Svalbard?” — Terje Aunevik, mayor of Svalbard’s main town Longyearbyen, says he has been asked the question many times. US President Donald Trump’s expansionist ambitions have turned the global spotlight on the Arctic, where geo-strategic and financial stakes are mounting. “The Arctic is no longer a quiet corner on the map,” the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas told a conference in Tromso in northern Norway in early February. Moscow has argued that Oslo is not respecting the Svalbard treaty and has increased its provocations in recent years.

Source: Bangkok Post February 19, 2026 09:36 UTC