“Two fronts of work on the security of Greenland and the Arctic were agreed. One of them envisages NATO taking on more responsibility in the region,” said Mark Rutte
The secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Mark Rutte, said this Monday, 26, that the military bloc will take on a greater role in Arctic security, amid progress in negotiations for an agreement on Greenland with the United States.
“Two fronts of work were agreed on the security of Greenland and the Arctic. One of them envisages that NATO assume more responsibility in the region,” said Rutte, at the European Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee. “We also agreed to prevent Russia and China from having further access to the Arctic,” he added, after reinforcing that the relationship between Europe and NATO is “better than ever”.
Rutte also said it was essential that the military alliance remained united, stating that anyone who thinks Europe can defend itself without the United States should “keep dreaming”. According to him, European countries would need to spend up to 10% of GDP on defense without the US to guarantee their security, double what is currently projected for the sector.
“Vladimir Putin would love a European defense force separate from the United States,” he warned, citing the Russian president and the war in Ukraine. Regarding the region, the secretary general made a point of pointing out that there is no relationship with the negotiations on Greenland. “These are different issues,” he said.
Rutte highlighted that the European Union should not be “excessively restrictive” in the conditions of its 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine in the 2026-2027 biennium, referring to the bloc’s policy of prioritizing the purchase of products manufactured within its borders.
“I am encouraging the European Union to guarantee flexibility in how Ukraine can use the loan to purchase weapons,” he said.
