By Guy Birchall
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Jan. 21 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that U.S. President Donald Trump was right about security in the Arctic.
“When it comes to the Arctic, I think President Trump is right. Other leaders in NATO are right. We need to defend the Arctic,” the former Dutch prime minister said. “We know that the sea lanes are opening up.”
Rutte said that China and Russia were becoming increasingly active in the Arctic Circle, and acknowledged that this posed a problem for the alliance.
“There are eight countries bordering on the Arctic. Seven are members of NATO. That’s Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Canada, and the U.S.,” Rutte said.
“And there’s only one country bordering on the Arctic outside NATO, and that’s Russia. And I would argue there is a ninth country, which is China, which is increasingly active in the Arctic region. So, President Trump and other leaders are right, we have to do more there, we have to protect the Arctic.”
Rutte also praised Trump for upping the contributions from many NATO member states to the alliance’s budget.
“Do you really think that without Donald Trump, eight big economies in Europe, including Spain, Italy, and Belgium, Canada, by the way, also outside Europe, would have come to 2 percent in 2025 when they were only on 1.5 percent at the beginning of the year?” Rutte said. “No way. Without Donald Trump, this would never have happened. They are all on 2 percent now.”
Rutte’s comments about NATO’s presence in the Arctic come as Trump’s stated ambition of annexing Greenland has driven a wedge between Washington and European allies.
Before departing for the summit, Trump expressed confidence that NATO and the United States would reach a deal on the Arctic island that benefits all parties.
“I think that we will work something out where NATO is going to be very happy and where we’re going to be very happy,” Trump said during a Jan. 20 White House press conference.
“We need it for national security and even world security. It’s very important.”
During his speech in Davos, the president ruled out taking the island by force but remained forthright in his insistence that the United States must acquire the territory.
“People thought I would use force, but I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” Trump said.
“We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it. They have a choice: They can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember.”
Trump also said that Denmark promised to spend “over $200 million to strengthen Greenland’s defenses” and that it has “spent less than 1 percent of that.”
He was referring to a 2019 commitment from the Danish government, made during his first presidency, when the idea of the United States taking control of the territory was first raised.
Copenhagen has not disputed that the implementation of that commitment has been slow.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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