Rubio Starts NATO Tour In Iceland As Trump’s Arctic Plans Come Under Focus

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a three-nation tour of NATO allies in Iceland on Tuesday, seeking closer security, defence and economic ties as concerns persist in Reykjavik over President Donald Trump’s ambitions in the Arctic.

Rubio, who arrived in Iceland on Monday, is meeting Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir during his visit. Talks are focused on economic and security cooperation, with Arctic security, defence cooperation and trade identified by Iceland as key priorities. It is the first visit by a US secretary of state to Iceland since Antony Blinken travelled there in 2021.

Rubio called Iceland “a good friend” and said his visit would advance shared priorities including a secure Arctic, stronger commercial and energy ties, and closer defence cooperation. Iceland has no standing military and relies on NATO and a bilateral defence agreement with the United States for its security.

The visit comes after Washington reached a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland in late September. The pact has eased tensions over Trump’s repeated calls for greater US control of Greenland, although Washington is also seeking to expand its military presence there.

Iceland remains uneasy about the administration’s Arctic intentions. Last month, Trump posted an image on social media showing the US flag covering North America, Greenland and Iceland. Gunnarsdóttir summoned US Ambassador Billy Long and told him the post was inappropriate. Trump had also mistakenly mentioned Iceland several times while discussing Greenland.

Long has himself attracted controversy. Before taking up his post in August, thousands of Icelanders signed a petition opposing his appointment after he joked that Iceland could become the 52nd US state and that he could become its governor. He later apologised.

Rubio will next travel to Athens, where he will lead the US delegation at the sixth US-Greece Strategic Dialogue. The talks are expected to cover defence, regional security and energy, including efforts to promote US liquefied natural gas exports to southeastern and central Europe.

His Greece visit also comes amid controversy involving US Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle. Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks is seeking answers over allegations that Guilfoyle suggested Washington could undermine the Greek government, promoted the interests of a Greek construction and energy company and allowed its lobbyist into diplomatic meetings. Guilfoyle has denied wrongdoing, while Rubio has defended her.

Rubio will conclude his tour in Portugal, where he is scheduled to discuss defence, economic and technology cooperation before returning to Washington on Thursday.