President Donald Trumpās contention that forceful measures must be in place to protect the Arctic region was seconded Wednesday by NATO Secretary General āMark Rutte.
Trump has said that American ownership of Greenland is essential to providing security. Denmark, which controls the island, does not want to part with it, leading to an escalating war of words and threats of economic consequences.
Rutte spoke during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. Trump spoke to the group later on Wednesday.
āWhen it comes to the Arctic, I think President Trump is right,ā Rutte said in a video posted to X. āOther leaders of NATO are right.ā
āWe need to defend the Arctic. We know that the sea lanes are opening up. We know that China and Russia are increasingly active in the Arctic,ā he said.
NATOās Rutte:
Trump is right. We must protect the Arctic from Russian and Chinese influence. pic.twitter.com/sSzwDUUxAr
ā Clash Report (@clashreport) January 21, 2026
āThere are eight countries bordering the Arctic. Seven are members of NATO,ā he said, listing Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Canada, and the United States.
The only nation with an Arctic border outside of NATO is Russia, he said.
āAnd I would argue there is a ninth country, which is China, which is increasingly active in the Arctic region,ā he said.
āPresident Trump and other leaders are right; we have to do more there,ā he continued. āWe have to protect the Arctic against Russian ā and Chinese influence.ā
Rutte also noted that the focus on Greenland takes Europeās eyes off of its major issue, according to German media outlet DW.
āThe ā focus on Ukraine should be the number one priority, āit is ācrucial for European and U.S. security,ā Rutte said.
āI am really worried that we lose sight and ā that, āin the meantime, Ukrainians wonāt have enough interceptor [missiles] to defend themselves.ā
Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik offered a similar thought.
āThese are demanding times. The situation in NATO is difficult,ā Sandvik said, adding that the ādimensional threat ā for the West, for NATOā¦ is still Russia.ā
As noted by Time, Trump said Greenland should be part of America.
āWithout us, right now youād all be speaking German and Japanese, perhaps,ā Trump said during his remarks, referring to World War II.
āAfter the war, we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that, but we did it, but we gave it back. But how ungrateful are they now?ā he said.
āThis enormous unsecured Island is actually part of North America, on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere,ā Trump said. āThatās our territory.ā
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