The Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, said the issue of Greenland’s sovereignty and its status as an autonomous territory of Denmark was not discussed during his talks with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Speaking to Fox News, Rutte was asked whether Greenland would remain part of Denmark under any future agreement. He replied that the matter “was not raised” in his discussions with the US president.
According to Rutte, the talks focused instead on security issues in the Arctic. “The discussion centred on what we need to do to protect this vast Arctic region, where change is under way and where China and Russia are becoming increasingly active,” he said.
Reassurance to Washington
On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Rutte also sought to reassure Trump about NATO’s collective defence commitments, following remarks by the US president that had raised questions about allied solidarity.
“You can be absolutely certain that if the United States were ever attacked, your allies would stand by you. That is an absolute guarantee,” Rutte said ahead of their meeting.
Trump points to future framework
Following the meeting, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he and the NATO Secretary General had outlined “the framework of a future agreement” related to Greenland.
Rutte’s comments, however, underline that the discussions, from NATO’s perspective, were confined to broader Arctic security concerns rather than questions of territorial sovereignty.
Source: AFP–Reuters