NATO chief says the Arctic is now ‘a precedence’ after Trump mentioned ‘we’ll have Greenland a technique or one other’
NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Monday that Arctic security was now ‘a priority’ after Donald Trump declared the US would take Greenland ‘one way or the other’.
The US president has rocked the 32-nation alliance by refusing to rule out military force to seize the autonomous territory of fellow NATO member Denmark.
Trump has used a need to increase security in the Arctic region in the face of China and Russia as a key justification for why Washington needs to control the island.
‘Currently we are working on the next steps to make sure that indeed we collectively protect what is at stake,’ Rutte told journalists during a visit to Croatia.
The move to ramp up security in the Arctic is likely to be perceived as an attempt to address Trump’s concerns about protecting Greenland from invasion, in yet another capitulation to the US president by the Western alliance.
‘All allies agree on the importance of the Arctic and Arctic security, because we know that with sea lanes opening up there is a risk that the Russians and the Chinese will be more active,’ Rutte said.
‘Currently we are discussing the next step to that, how to make sure that we give practical follow up on those discussions,’ he added.
Diplomats at NATO say that some alliance members are floating ideas including possibly launching a new mission in the region.
But so far discussions are at an embryonic stage and there are no concrete proposals on the table, they say.
NATO chief Mark Rutte, pictured above on January 12 in Croatia, said on Monday that Arctic security was now ‘a priority’ after Donald Trump declared the US would take Greenland ‘one way or the other’
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, the US president said that making a deal would be ‘easier’ than taking control of the territory through military force
European leaders have thrown their weight behind Denmark as it seeks to fend off Trump’s desire for Greenland.
The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland are set to hold talks this week with US top diplomat Marco Rubio.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that if Washington followed through with an armed attack on Greenland that it would spell the end of NATO.
Trump however has reacted by insisting he has made the alliance stronger by forcing European countries to up defence spending.
‘I’m the one who SAVED NATO!!!’ Trump posted online.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, the US president said that making a deal would be ‘easier’ than taking control of the territory through military force, but insisted it would happen ‘one way or the other’ – even if it strains relationships with NATO.
‘If we don’t take Greenland, Russia or China will take Greenland, and I’m not gonna let that happen,’ he told reporters.
‘I’d love to make a deal with them, it’s easier. But one way or the other, we’re gonna have Greenland.’
The president added that ‘Greenland does not want to see Russia or China take over,’ and said that the territory would benefit from closer ties with the US, particularly when it comes to defence.
‘Greenland, basically, their defence is two dogsleds,’ Trump said.
‘In the meantime, you have Russian destroyers and submarines, and China destroyers and submarines all over the place. We’re not gonna let that happen.’
He also raised sparked fear about the future of NATO when he brushed aside warnings that his push to acquire Greenland could upset the Western alliance, saying: ‘If it affects NATO, then it affects NATO.’
‘But, you know, they need us much more than we need them, I will tell you that right now,’ Trump added.
The Greenlandic government issued a statement responding to the latest comments from Trump, insisting that it ‘cannot accept under any circumstances’ the US desire to control Greenland.
‘Based on the very positive statement from the six NATO member states regarding Greenland, the Government of Greenland will increase its efforts to ensure that the defence of Greenland takes place under the auspices of NATO,’ the statement said.
‘All NATO member states, including the United States, have a common interest in the defence of Greenland, and the government coalition in Greenland will therefore work with Denmark to ensure that the dialogue on and development of the defence in Greenland takes place within the framework of NATO cooperation.’
Last week, six European allies rallied to support Denmark following insistence by the US that it must have take over Greenland.
‘Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations,’ the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark said in a joint statement.
Responding to criticism about his so-called charm offensive on Trump, Rutte insisted that ‘I believe that Donald Trump is doing the right things for NATO by encouraging us all to spend more’.
He said he was ‘absolutely convinced’ that ‘without Donald Trump we would never have had that result at the summit in The Hague’ last year, increasing the GDP defence threshold to 5 per cent.
‘So when I praise somebody, it is based on facts, and I believe the facts are there,’ he added while addressing reporters on his visit to Croatia, where he met the country’s prime minister Andrej Plenković.
Reacting to Trump’s repeated insistence on taking over the territory, one Greenlander told the BBC that she thought the US president was ‘crazy’, while another said residents ‘just want to be left alone’.
‘He’s again saying: “We take you, we buy you, we use military.” And he’s crazy,’ one woman said.
‘They don’t have to take our land and make it American,’ another added.
Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, has previously warned that any US attack on a NATO ally would spell the end of ‘everything’.
‘If the United States decides to militarily attack another NATO country, then everything would stop – that includes NATO and therefore post-Second World War security,’ Frederiksen told Danish television network TV2 last week.
