Canada and Nordic States Pledge Joint Defence Procurement in New 'Middle-Power' Push

OSLO, March 15 (Reuters) - Canada and the five Nordic countries agreed on Sunday to deepen cooperation on defence procurement and related areas during a summit in Oslo, part of a broader effort associated with advocate Mark Carney to strengthen collaboration among so‑called "middle powers."

The initiative seeks to reduce overreliance on any single ally and to build coordinated purchasing and strategic partnerships that deliver better value for taxpayers while enhancing collective security across Europe and the Arctic.

Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stand in the government's representative building in Oslo, Norway, March 15, 2026. NTB/Thomas Fure via REUTERS

"The old world order is gone and will probably not come back," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after the meeting of the six leaders. "So we have to build something new and it has to be a world order that is built on the values that we represent."

Frederiksen, who faces a challenging re‑election campaign this month, praised a recent call for middle‑power coordination delivered by Mark Carney at the Davos forum. Carney, a former central banker and prominent advocate for closer middle‑power cooperation, has been promoting stronger ties between Canada and a range of global partners.

In a joint statement the six governments — Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland — said they would work more closely on defence procurement to avoid uncoordinated spending that delivers poor value and weaker protection for their populations.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the government's representative facility in Oslo, Norway, March 15, 2026. NTB/Thomas Fure via REUTERS

"We all agree that if we individually spend that money or we spend it in an uncoordinated way, it's not going to be value for taxpayers. It also will not protect our people as much as we should," Carney told reporters. "We will still do a lot of procurement with the United States... but in all cases looking to procure much more in partnership."

The group also reaffirmed support for Ukraine, championed international trade, backed efforts to build green economies and emphasized measures to bolster Arctic security. All six countries have territories in the polar region and have previously criticised U.S. suggestions to pursue control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the talk focused on practical cooperation rather than creating new institutions. "This is not about building new institutions. This is about what Prime Minister Carney calls a variable geometry," he told Reuters, adding that Australia, Japan and South Korea could be potential partners in specific areas.

Leaders agreed to pursue coordinated procurement where feasible, while continuing established defence partnerships — notably with the United States — when strategically necessary.

(Additional reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo; Editing by Andrew Heavens)