NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance is not alarmed by President Donald Trump’s statements about Greenland, emphasizing shared concern over Arctic security rather than internal conflict.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Monday that he is not concerned by President Donald Trump’s comments suggesting the United States could seize Greenland, including through military means, dismissing the notion that the alliance faces a crisis over the issue.
“All allies agree on the importance of the Arctic and Arctic security,” Rutte told reporters, citing increased strategic interest as new sea lanes open. He said NATO members broadly recognize the risk of expanded activity by Russia and China in the region.
When asked directly whether NATO was facing turmoil over Greenland, Rutte replied, “No, not at all.”
Trump’s remarks have drawn criticism from European leaders and a number of U.S. lawmakers. Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO member, and holds extensive autonomy over its domestic affairs.
On Sunday, Trump said the United States would acquire Greenland “one way or the other,” arguing that failure to act would allow Russia or China to assert control over the mineral-rich Arctic territory. He framed Greenland as critical to U.S. national security amid what he described as growing Russian and Chinese military activity in the Arctic.
“If we don’t take Greenland, Russia or China will, and I’m not letting that happen,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
The president said he remains open to negotiating with Greenland’s self-governing authorities but insisted that U.S. control of the territory is inevitable. “One way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland,” he said.
Denmark’s prime minister has warned that any attempt by the United States to take Greenland by force would severely damage transatlantic security ties that have endured for decades.
Trump dismissed that concern, saying that if the issue affects NATO, “it affects NATO,” and adding that U.S. leverage within the alliance outweighs that of its partners. “They need us much more than we need them,” he said.
Rutte’s comments signaled an effort by NATO leadership to defuse tensions by refocusing attention on shared strategic priorities in the Arctic rather than the political fallout from Trump’s statements.
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