NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held a press conference in Brussels ahead of a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers. During the conference, he was asked about the control of Greenland, which is at the center of a dispute between Denmark and the US. The Dutch, Rutte, expressed his support for Denmark, stating that Greenland is and will remain a part of the Nordic EU country. He also emphasized the importance of cooperation among all Arctic NATO member states, including the US, to counterbalance Russia and China.
Rutte criticized the lack of icebreakers in this context. In a separate question, he was asked whether a potential trade war between the EU and the US could weaken the alliance. The Secretary General declined to comment, stating that trade matters are not within the NATO’s scope of work. He added that the alliance’s primary responsibility is the protection of its member states from external threats, such as those from Russia.
The dispute over Greenland has been ongoing, with US President Donald Trump previously stating that the island should be part of the United States. He has cited the island’s strategic importance for the nation’s security and the protection of the “free world” from China and Russia. The US President has refused to rule out the use of military force to gain control of the island.
The meeting of NATO foreign ministers is set to take place in Brussels on Thursday, with Germany to be represented by its acting foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock. The meeting is also expected to focus on the situation in Ukraine and the US’s demand for NATO member states to increase their defense spending to 5% of their respective GDP.