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.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow ear...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for greater economic cooperation among Muslim countries, saying their combined economic weight remai...
Indonesia deployed thousands of security personnel around parliament and other major cities on Thursday as students returned to the streets, one ye...
Oil prices fell after the U.S. expanded economic sanctions on Iran, as Tehran vowed to retaliate and warned it had tools to respond, raising concerns over potential disruption to regional oil supplies.
Rescuers in Nepal used helicopters on Thursday to scour for hundreds still missing after a wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border with China's Tibet, sending catastrophic floods through towns and valleys, killing 162 people.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time being”, Axios reports. Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have resumed talks on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for greater economic cooperation among Muslim countries, saying their combined economic weight remains disproportionately small compared with their population, strategic location and resources.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 10 prisoners of war each in Belarus, Moscow's Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova, has said.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow earlier this week to warn Russia against attacking NATO, dismissing them as "scare stories," which had nothing to do with reality.
Indonesia deployed thousands of security personnel around parliament and other major cities on Thursday as students returned to the streets, one year after nationwide anti-government protests left 10 people dead.
Thousands of Russians are hunting for apartments in Tbilisi and Yerevan - not because of a mobilisation order that's been signed, but because of one many fear is coming.
Poland has asked the European Commission to impose a €250 million ($291.3 million) fine on Meta, accusing the technology company of failing to adequately tackle fraudulent advertisements on its platforms.
Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb military commander convicted of genocide for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, has died, according to a United Nations official.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment