NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has stressed that the alliance will take steps to prevent Russia and China from gaining access to Greenland’s economy or military infrastructure.
Speaking at a Ukrainian Breakfast sideline event during the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Rutte highlighted the strategic importance of the Arctic and Greenland in the context of NATO's security.
When it comes to Greenland, "we will ensure that the Chinese and the Russians will not gain access" to the Greenland economy or to Greenland militarily, and that will be a discussion taken forward based on what already happened last Wednesday when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance had their discussions with the Danish delegation, he said.
Rutte underlined that safeguarding Greenland is part of a broader NATO strategy to protect the High North. The seven Arctic nations — the United States, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Norway — must work collectively to secure the region against Russian and Chinese influence.
"Of course, all of this is not about Greenland or the Arctic. First of all, this is about how we can protect ourselves against our adversaries. Our main adversary is Russia, and of course, we see China massively building up," he said.
Denmark, Greenland reject Trump proposal
Rutte and Trump met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, amid recent tensions between Europe and the US over Greenland. NATO spokesperson Allison Hart described the encounter as "a very productive meeting."
Trump later stated on his Truth Social platform that a framework for a potential deal involving Greenland and the broader Arctic region had been established.
"Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st," he added.
Last week, Trump announced that Washington would impose 10 percent tariffs on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland starting February 1, increasing to 25 percent in June unless a deal for "the complete and total purchase of Greenland" is reached.
Trump has shown interest in the semiautonomous region of Denmark because of its strategic Arctic location, rich mineral resources, and concerns over increasing Russian and Chinese influence in the region.
Denmark and Greenland have firmly rejected any proposals to sell the territory, reaffirming Danish sovereignty over the island.
