The US wants to expand military cooperation with Iceland, writes WSJ

The US plans to expand military and intelligence cooperation with Iceland.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Iceland a “critical outpost” for monitoring covert activity and deterring adversaries.

The Prime Minister of Iceland has confirmed her commitment to expanding the provision of logistics services to the United States.

WASHINGTON, October 6 - RIA Novosti. The United States is looking to expand military and intelligence cooperation with Iceland amid President Donald Trump's administration's plans to increase its presence in the Arctic and around Greenland, the Wall Street Journal reports.

“We are interested in doing more together,” the publication quotes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived on Tuesday for talks in Reykjavik.

During his visit, Rubio thanked Icelandic authorities for providing "land, air and sea space" for US military power projection, the newspaper reported, calling the island "a critical outpost for monitoring covert activity and deterring adversaries."

According to the publication, recent agreements on Greenland paved the way for an increase in the American military contingent in the region, which sharply increased the strategic importance of Iceland.

At the same time, Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadouttir confirmed her readiness to expand the provision of logistics services to the United States, emphasizing that her country's contribution is to “literally be a base,” the publication notes.