NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said rising tensions over Greenland must be handled through careful diplomacy, as President Donald Trump presses U.S. claims on the strategically vital territory.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that “thoughtful diplomacy” is the only viable path forward amid escalating tensions over Greenland, as President Donald Trump traveled to the World Economic Forum in Davos while advancing U.S. claims on the Arctic territory.
“I see that there are these tensions at the moment, there’s no doubt,” Rutte said during remarks at the forum. “Again, I’m not going to comment on that, but I can assure you, the only way to deal with that is, in the end, thoughtful diplomacy.”
Rutte said he is actively engaged in efforts to manage the dispute but declined to elaborate publicly. “You can be assured that I’m working on this issue behind the scenes, but I cannot do it in public,” he said.
The NATO chief is scheduled to meet with Trump in Davos as the president’s renewed push to acquire Greenland from Denmark has unsettled the alliance. Greenland is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark and holds significant strategic importance due to its location in the Arctic.
Rather than directly addressing the ownership dispute, Rutte has attempted to reframe the issue within a broader NATO discussion on Arctic security. “When it comes to the Arctic, I think President Trump is right. Other leaders in NATO are right. We need to defend the Arctic,” he said.
Rutte rejected suggestions that the disagreement could threaten the future of the 76-year-old alliance. “NATO is crucial, not only for the defence of Europe, but also for the defence of the United States,” he said. “For the United States to stay safe, you need a safe Arctic, a safe Atlantic and a safe Europe.”
He also pushed back against repeated remarks by Trump questioning whether European allies would come to America’s defense in a crisis. “I tell him, yes they will,” Rutte said. “I have no doubt the U.S. will come to the rescue here, and we will come to the rescue of the U.S.”
Speaking alongside Rutte in Davos, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he believed diplomacy could still defuse the situation. “You have two schools of thought here on Greenland,” Stubb said. “One is to de-escalate, and the other one is to escalate, to de-escalate. And I think at the end of the day, we’ll find an off ramp.”
The comments come as Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on European allies who resist U.S. efforts to acquire Greenland, prompting discussions within the European Union about possible trade countermeasures against Washington.
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