Negotiations on the Arctic will focus mainly on keeping Russia and China out of the region

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday that he and US President Donald Trump discussed at the World Economic Forum in Davos how the North Atlantic Alliance can best protect the Arctic from the growing influence of Russia and China.

Trump has repeatedly stated that he is interested in acquiring Greenland for security reasons. On Wednesday, however, he ruled out the use of force and indicated that, following talks with Rutte, an agreement could be reached with Denmark, which owns the island. His ambitions have caused tension within NATO in recent weeks.

Rutte described the talks with Trump as very good and stressed the need for joint action by all seven NATO member countries that have territory in the Arctic. According to him, the goal is to prevent China or Russia from gaining economic or military influence in Greenland.

The discussions will also follow up on last week's talks between the US and delegations from Denmark and Greenland in Washington. China rejects the accusations and claims that its activities in the Arctic are exclusively civilian and in accordance with international law. Tensions in the region were also heightened by a joint Chinese-Russian air patrol flight near Alaska in the summer of 2024, after which the US and Canada sent fighter jets.

(reuters, est)