Davos, January 21 (TASR) – The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that he will not publicly comment on the tension between the United States and European countries regarding Greenland. However, he sees diplomatic negotiations as the only solution. He also emphasized the importance of protecting the Arctic from the growing influence of Russia and China, TASR reports, according to Reuters and AFP reports.
- Rutte declined to comment on tensions between the US and Europe over Greenland.
- He sees only diplomatic negotiations between the interested parties as a solution.
- He emphasized the need to protect the Arctic from Russia and China.
- He rejected claims that the Europeans would not help the US if needed.
- He called for the main priority to be the defense of Ukraine.
“You can be sure that I am working behind the scenes on this issue (the dispute between the US and European states), but I cannot do it publicly,” Rutte said during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum conference in Davos, Switzerland. According to him, US President Donald Trump and other leaders are right that more needs to be done to protect the Arctic.
At the same time, Rutte rejected Trump’s claims that European allies would not help Washington if asked. “At the press conference (Trump) said that he doubts whether the Europeans will come to help if Article 5 (of the North Atlantic Treaty) is activated. I tell him that yes, they will,” he noted. According to his own words, he has no doubt that the United States would do the same.
On Saturday, Trump threatened to impose a ten percent import tariff on eight NATO countries – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Finland – starting February 1, which will apply until the issue of the acquisition of Greenland by the United States is resolved. The duty may increase to 25 percent from June 1. The head of the White House insists that the autonomous Danish island is crucial to the security of the United States and NATO.
Rutte also urged NATO allies on Wednesday not to let tensions over Greenland distract them from the need to defend Ukraine. “Focusing on Ukraine should be the number one priority, it is crucial for the security of Europe and the US,” he said.
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