NATO member countries are discussing the next steps to collectively keep the Arctic safe, alliance chief Mark Rutte said on Monday (12 January), the latest sign of work among allies to satisfy U.S. President Donald Trump, who says he wants to take over Greenland.
"All allies agree on the importance of the Arctic and Arctic security," Rutte told a press conference in Croatia. "With sea lanes opening up, there is a risk that the Russians and the Chinese will be more active."
Rutte said discussions on Arctic security were already under way since last year, and member countries were now "discussing the next step to that, how to make sure that we give practical follow up on those discussions."
He emphasised that NATO has become more engaged in Arctic security since 2025 at the request of its seven High North allies, describing the region as “a vital part of NATO territory.”
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also highlighted the importance of dialogue in resolving tensions over Greenland’s status, saying, “High-quality discussions can ensure global security and maintain Greenland as part of Denmark.”
The comments come after Trump said on Friday that the U.S. needs to own Greenland to prevent Russia or China from occupying it in the future.
Greenland is an autonomous part of the kingdom of Denmark and houses a U.S. airbase under international treaties. Danish and Greenlandic officials say the island is not for sale, and that security concerns should be resolved among allies.
European diplomats told Reuters that discussions were ongoing about a possible NATO operation to boost security in the Arctic, as officials search for ways to address U.S. concerns.
No decisions have been made, the diplomats said, but some officials have suggested that an operation could be modelled on NATO's operations to boost security on its eastern flank, Baltic Sentry and Eastern Sentry.
A German government spokesperson said on Monday that discussions about further strengthening security in the Arctic region were currently taking place within NATO.
U.S. President Donald Trump says China's Xi Jinping agreed Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran prepares a new shippin...
The global housing crisis has reached what UN officials describe as “staggering” proportions, with nearly...
The 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) opened in Baku with ministers, UN officials and urban policy leaders. Participants call for ...
Thousands of displaced families in Gaza are facing growing infestations of rats and insects as worsening sanita...
At least four people have been killed in a major Ukrainian drone attack on Russian territory, including the Moscow region, which authorities say fa...
U.S. President Donald Trump says China's Xi Jinping agreed Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran prepares a new shipping mechanism. Tensions over the U.S. blockade and stalled nuclear talks continue to disrupt global oil supplies.
The 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) opened in Baku with ministers, UN officials and urban policy leaders. Participants call for action on housing, sustainable development and resilient cities, as rapid urbanisation is placing pressure on infrastructure, services and living conditions.
Thousands of displaced families in Gaza are facing growing infestations of rats and insects as worsening sanitation conditions and mounting waste deepen the humanitarian crisis across overcrowded camps, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
At least four people have been killed in a major Ukrainian drone attack on Russian territory, including the Moscow region, which authorities say faced its largest aerial assault in more than a year.
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
At least eight people were injured after a driver rammed a car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, authorities said on Saturday. Four of the victims were reported to be in serious condition.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington could destroy Iran’s infrastructure “in two days,” while Tehran warned the U.S. would face growing economic costs from the conflict. The remarks came as Hezbollah reported new attacks on Israeli forces despite an extended Lebanon ceasefire.
At least eight people have died and 32 others were injured after a freight train collided with a public bus at a railway crossing in Bangkok on Saturday (16 May), triggering a fire that quickly spread through the vehicle.
Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that the U.S. military blockade of Iran’s southern ports could trigger a new global financial crisis as the Tehran-Washington standoff around the strategic Strait of Hormuz persists.
At least four people have been killed in a major Ukrainian drone attack on Russian territory, including the Moscow region, which authorities say faced its largest aerial assault in more than a year.
China has launched the world’s first experiment to study how artificial human embryos develop in space, marking a major step in understanding whether humans could one day reproduce beyond Earth.
Every day, an elderly woman in China’s Shandong province looks forward to a video call from her son. He asks about her health, tells her he has been busy with work, and promises he will come home once he has saved enough money. She tells him she misses him. He tells her to take care of herself.
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), warning that the situation poses a significant risk of cross-border spread in Central Africa.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment