NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says the status of Greenland did not arise in his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, as Trump stepped back from tariff threats and ruled out using force to take control of the territory.
Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that the question of whether Greenland would remain with Denmark "did not come up" in his meeting with President Donald Trump.
He made the remarks in an interview on Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier, hours after Trump abruptly shifted tone on the dispute.
Earlier in the day, Trump moved away from threats to impose tariffs as leverage to seize the island, ruled out the use of military force and said a deal was close to ending the standoff over the Danish territory.
After meeting Rutte, he said Western Arctic allies could reach a framework that would satisfy U.S. aims for a "Golden Dome" missile-defence system and secure access to critical minerals, while stopping Russia and China from expanding their Arctic ambitions.
Trump has previously argued that Washington must own Greenland to prevent either power from gaining influence over the strategically located and minerals-rich island, which houses a U.S. airbase and is an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Rutte was asked in the Fox News interview whether Greenland would still be "under the Kingdom of Denmark in this framework deal".
"That issue did not come up anymore in my conversations tonight with the president," Rutte explained.
He said Trump was focused on how to protect "that huge Arctic region" amid what he described as growing Russian and Chinese activity.
Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly said the island is not for sale. Both countries are NATO members.
Trump’s broader foreign policy has been cast by some experts as imperialist in nature, reflecting concerns that his approach to Greenland is part of a wider strategic push.
European diplomats said Trump’s shift in tone eased some immediate tension but did not resolve the dispute, warning that allies still faced difficult negotiations over Greenland.
Denmark said the matter should be handled through private diplomacy, with Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen stressing the need for “respect for the integrity and sovereignty of the kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination”.
Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares urged the European Union to move towards a joint army as a deterrence measure, saying “a joint effort would be more efficient than 27 separate national armies” and that Europe “will not let itself be coerced militarily or economically”.
A 77-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were killed on Monday (4 May), after a man drove a car into a crowd on...
Iran warned U.S. forces on Monday not to enter the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump said the United S...
At a time when geopolitical tensions continue to ripple across multiple regions, from Ukraine to the Middle East, ...
Austria has expelled three diplomats from the Russian Embassy over concerns that satellite installations on diplomatic buildings could be used for ...
Recent developments across the Middle East show political messaging is moving beyond traditional channels, with public art and AI-generated content...
European Union leaders were set to discuss the bloc’s mutual assistance clause at a summit in southern Cyprus on Thursday, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of traditional allies raises concerns over his commitment to NATO.
Greenland’s prime minister has appointed his predecessor to oversee foreign affairs, as pressure from Washington intensifies over the Arctic island’s future.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to “buy” Greenland was initially presented as an eccentricity. It was not. Nor is the growing U.S. interest in strategic access points to Antarctica.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats were headed for their worst election outcome in more than a century on Tuesday, as migration and welfare concerns obscured broad support for her defiant stance toward Washington over Greenland.
A 77-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were killed on Monday (4 May), after a man drove a car into a crowd on a pedestrianised street in the the eastern German city of Leipzig, authorities said.
Iran warned U.S. forces on Monday not to enter the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump said the United States would "guide out" ships stranded in the Gulf by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
China has moved to block U.S. sanctions on five of its oil refineries, in a fresh escalation of tensions over trade and energy policy.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will “soon be reviewing” a new 14-point proposal sent by Iran, casting doubt on the chances of a deal after Tehran called for security guarantees, an end to naval blockades and a halt to the war across the region, including in Lebanon.
Ukraine has launched a new wave of drone strikes on Sunday (3 May) across Russia, hitting key infrastructure and causing casualties in several regions, officials on both sides said.
A 77-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were killed on Monday (4 May), after a man drove a car into a crowd on a pedestrianised street in the the eastern German city of Leipzig, authorities said.
Austria has expelled three diplomats from the Russian Embassy over concerns that satellite installations on diplomatic buildings could be used for espionage.
A Russian missile strike killed six people in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on Monday (4 May), as Kyiv reported fresh attacks on energy infrastructure and a sharp rise in drone strikes on ports.
Australia and Japan agreed on Monday to deepen cooperation on energy and critical minerals, as Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met her Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese during a three-day visit.
Australia began public hearings on Monday in an inquiry into the Bondi Beach mass shooting in December, with Jewish Australians giving evidence about their experiences of rising domestic antisemitism.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment