Trump’s Greenland fixation puts security at the heart of Iceland’s knife-edge EU vote

Iceland Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir participates at a listening session on a referendum in Reykjavik, Iceland, on August 24, 2026.Jonathan Nackstrand | Afp | Getty ImagesIcelanders on Saturday will vote in a knife-edge referendum on whether to resume negotiations to join the European Union, reopening a debate that has taken on deeper significance in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's Arctic saber-rattling.The question put to the Nordic nation of nearly 400,000 is simply: "Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?"Opinion polls indicate the advisory vote is likely to go down to the wire, with the country effectively split in half on the issue. If a majority of voters answer yes, accession negotiations will take place, which if successful, would lead to a negotiated agreement being put to a second referendum for the Icelandic people to accept or reject.It comes as the Arctic emerges as a major hotbed for critical minerals and climate change rapidly melts sea ice, opening seasonal shipping routes, and amid Trump's renewed push to acquire Greenland, Iceland's closest neighbor.The U.S. president has long advocated for control over Greenland on...