Canada Joins Nordic and Baltic States in First-Ever NB8 Ministerial Format

Foreign ministers from Canada and the eight Nordic and Baltic states met in New York on 22 September 2026 for the first-ever Canada-Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) ministerial meeting, a new format convened on the sidelines of UN General Assembly high-level week by Estonia’s Margus Tsahkna and Canada’s Anita Anand. The gathering brought together Canada with Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. The Nordic-Baltic Eight grouping itself dates back to the 1990s as an informal coordination mechanism among the five Nordic and three Baltic states, and this meeting marked its first extension to a North American partner.

United against Russian hybrid threats

In a joint statement, the ministers said they “stand united against any attempt to change borders by force and will continue close coordination in the UN, OSCE, NATO and with the EU to uphold these principles.” They pointed to Russian threats against critical infrastructure and hybrid activity across the Baltic Sea, North Atlantic and Arctic regions as a shared concern, and identified defence industrial cooperation, maritime security, critical infrastructure protection and economic security, including countering foreign information interference, as priority areas for future cooperation.

Ukraine commitments and a new standing format

The ministers reaffirmed “unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes” and confirmed NB8 delegations would join the Pathways to Peace conference on returning Ukrainian children, detained civilians and prisoners of war, held in Toronto on 28-29 September. They also welcomed Estonia’s plan to host a Ukraine Recovery Conference on 28-29 January 2027, and noted Canada’s participation in the EU’s SAFE defence-financing instrument. The group agreed to keep meeting in this new nine-country format, with Norway due to take over the rotating NB8 chairmanship next.

Why it matters

Formalising Canada’s place alongside the Nordic-Baltic bloc gives Ottawa a direct seat at a table long focused on Arctic and Baltic Sea security, at a moment when NATO’s northern and eastern flanks face persistent Russian pressure short of open conflict. Whether the new grouping produces concrete joint capabilities, rather than just further statements, will become clearer once Norway takes over the chair and members test the format against issues ranging from undersea cable security to sustained support for Ukraine.