"Greenland, important for us"/ Rutte: NATO is considering next steps for Arctic security

2026-01-12 16:18:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

"Greenland, important for us"/ Rutte: NATO is considering next steps

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday that the Greenland issue is very important for the North Atlantic Alliance and indicated that member countries are working to guarantee the island's security.

"We have eight Arctic countries, seven are in NATO, the only one that is not is Russia. We have to guarantee security and that is what we are talking about. We want the Arctic to remain secure. Russia is the main threat to NATO and Europe," Rutte said at a press conference in Zagreb.

These are the first public words from the NATO chief about the Arctic island since US President Donald Trump reiterated on January 4 the United States' intention to acquire Greenland.

Rutte was on his first official visit to Zagreb as head of the world's largest military alliance. His interlocutor, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, stressed that all allies must respect each other.

"We respect the fact that Greenland is part of Denmark and we are convinced that the best solution can be found through dialogue," the Croatian Prime Minister emphasized.

Rutte denied that the US's ambitions in Greenland constitute the most serious crisis for the Alliance. He stressed that he welcomes the fact that countries bordering the Arctic have come together and decided to include a greater NATO commitment in that region.

Rutte also assessed that the American president has had a good influence on the Alliance, as he has encouraged member countries to increase defense spending, adding that without this pressure there would be no unity around increasing defense budgets.

He stressed that NATO cooperates with partners in the Arctic, who have requested greater engagement from the alliance.

As an example, he mentioned Denmark, which, according to him, is accelerating its defense investments, purchasing new military equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles, and significantly strengthening defense capabilities, including the security of Greenland.

There is no unanimity on Ukraine's membership in NATO

The war in Ukraine was also at the center of the Alliance Secretary General's talks with Croatian officials. Rutte acknowledged that there is no common position among member states regarding Ukraine's membership in NATO.

"We know that some allies, including Hungary, the United States of America and some others, are either against or are very skeptical of Ukraine's membership in NATO. This is a fact ," Rutte said.

He praised Croatia for its support for Ukraine, noting that this country has contributed more than 300 million euros in the form of military equipment, helicopters and protective gear since the beginning of the war.

"Ukraine's security is also our security," Rutte stressed.

Meanwhile, Plenkovic underlined that Ukraine on the ground is not only defending its freedom, but also democracy, values ??and security of the European continent.

"Therefore, it is important to understand that the consequences of Russian aggression have been more than visible across the continent - in Croatia, in our energy situation, through the energy crisis, economic and social pressures, as well as inflation," Plenkovic said. /REL