Rutte says NATO is working to strengthen Arctic security

NATO is defining the "next steps" to strengthen security in the Arctic, Secretary General Mark Rutte said amidst ambitions by the United States to take control of Greenland.

Rutte explained in Zagreb, together with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, that the alliance is "working on the next steps to make sure that indeed, we collectively protect what is at stake here."

As he detailed, since last year the 32 members of the organization—including the seven countries with territory in the Arctic, among them the United States and Denmark—are discussing how to "ensure that the Arctic region remains stable and protected."

Rutte stressed that all NATO countries recognize the strategic importance of the Arctic, especially in the face of the opening of new sea lanes that could increase the presence of Russia and China in the area.

"Close collaboration with NATO"

Faced with the increasingly plausible scenario of an attempted annexation by force, Greenland's premier, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has put his trust in NATO to ensure the territory's protection, recalling that the United States is its most influential member.

"Our security and defense are NATO's responsibility. This is a fundamental and unwavering principle," he declared on Monday.

Therefore, the Greenlandic government "will strive to ensure that defense development in and around Greenland is carried out in close cooperation with NATO, through dialogue with our allies, including the United States, and in cooperation with Denmark," he added.

A "firm and clear" response

Last week, the allies already addressed this issue in Brussels and evaluated different possibilities, such as increasing the naval presence in the area, although no final decision was reached.

In parallel, several European governments—including France, Germany and Poland—are studying how to respond to Washington in a "firm and clear" manner, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said days ago.

The United States already maintains a military base there - it operated some ten more during the Cold War - and according to Rutte, "the Danes would have no problem" if the United States were to establish "a larger presence than it does now."

Donald Trump: U.S. needs to ”own” Greenland

These reactions have not, for now, altered the president's stance. On Sunday, Donald Trump reiterated that the United States will take control of the island "one way or the other," arguing that otherwise Russia or China would take over Greenland.

Trump also clarified that the U.S. is not seeking a "lease" of the territory, but its full acquisition. "Countries have to have ownership and you defend ownership, you don't defend leases. And we'll have to defend Greenland," he said. However, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that such a move would mean the end of NATO.