During a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Thursday, US President Donald Trump argued that acquiring Greenland is essential for maintaining global stability and security.
“Well, I think it’ll happen. And I’m just thinking, I didn’t give it much thought before, but I’m sitting with a man that could be very instrumental,” Trump said, turning to Rutte. “You know, Mark, we need that for international security, not just security, international. We have a lot of our favorite players, you know, cruising around the coast, and we have to be careful. And we’ll be talking to you.”
Trump’s renewed interest in acquiring Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, follows his controversial 2019 proposal to purchase the island, which was met with strong opposition and swiftly rejected by Denmark and Greenlandic officials, who dismissed it outright as unrealistic.
Rutte, while acknowledging the Arctic’s growing strategic significance, was quick to separate NATO from Trump’s efforts to annex Greenland.
“When it comes to Greenland, yes or no joining the U.S., I would leave that outside, for me, this discussion because I don’t want to drag NATO in that,” Rutte stated.
However, he emphasized NATO’s concerns over China’s expanding presence and Russia’s militarization of the Arctic, warning of increasing security challenges in the region.
“When it comes to the high north and the Arctic, you are totally right. The Chinese are now using these routes. We know that the Russians are rearming. We know we have a lack of icebreakers. The fact that, outside of Russia, there are seven Arctic countries collaborating under U.S. leadership is very important. It ensures that the region remains secure as geopolitical conditions shift,” He further added.
