NATO is preparing a new Arctic Sentry mission to strengthen security in the Arctic, responding to growing tensions in the region and US demands to protect strategic Greenland. Allied negotiations on the future of the island are gaining momentum.
NATO has begun military planning for a new mission to strengthen security in the Arctic, Command Allied Forces Europe (SHAPE) spokesman Martin O’Donnell said on Tuesday. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
“This activity will further strengthen NATO’s position in the Arctic and the Far North,” O’Donnell said without elaborating on the mission, called Arctic Sentry.
The US wants to protect Greenland
News of plans for a new NATO mission comes after US President Donald Trump made protecting the area a key requirement in relation to Greenland.
Trump’s threats regarding this semi-autonomous territory of Denmark last month plunged the transatlantic alliance into the deepest crisis in recent years, writes AFP. In recent weeks, the US president has repeatedly stated that the US needs Greenland for reasons of national security and also because Russia and China are allegedly increasingly involved in its surroundings.
NATO agreement on Greenland
The head of the White House backed away from his intention to take control of Greenland after he and NATO chief Mark Rutte announced the creation of a framework for a future agreement involving the island and the wider Arctic region. Subsequently, Trump backed away from the intention to impose additional tariffs on imports from eight European countries that supported Denmark and opposed the intention of the US president.
Denmark and Greenland have since begun trilateral talks with the United States over the Greenland issue, and discussions are expected to touch on the 1951 treaty that allows Washington to deploy its forces and military bases on the island.
