KEY POINTS
- NATO chief calls for restraint amid Greenland dispute
- Mark Rutte to meet President Trump on the sidelines of WEF
- Arctic security emerges as a wider concern for the alliance
- European leaders play down risks of a NATO rupture
ISLAMABAD: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday called for “thoughtful diplomacy” to manage rising tensions over Greenland, as United States President Donald Trump arrived in Davos pushing Washington’s claims on the Danish autonomous territory.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum annual meeting, Rutte acknowledged the unease triggered by the dispute but avoided direct public criticism.
He said sensitive issues of this nature could only be resolved through careful diplomatic engagement rather than public confrontation.
“I see that there are these tensions at the moment, there’s no doubt,” Rutte told participants in Davos. He added that he was working on the matter behind the scenes and would not address it openly.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) chief is scheduled to meet President Trump in the Swiss resort, where the issue of Greenland has unsettled alliance members and sparked concerns about internal cohesion.
Trump’s renewed push to take control of the territory from Denmark has sent shockwaves through NATO capitals.
Rutte has sought to reframe the controversy by situating it within a broader NATO discussion on Arctic security.
He said concerns raised by Trump and other leaders about the region were valid, pointing to the growing strategic importance of the Arctic.
“When it comes to the Arctic, I think President Trump is right. Other leaders in NATO are right. We need to defend the Arctic,” he said.
At the same time, Rutte dismissed suggestions that the Greenland dispute could threaten the survival of the 76-year-old alliance.
He underlined NATO’s central role in safeguarding both Europe and the United States, stressing that collective security remained indivisible.
“For the United States to stay safe, you need a safe Arctic, a safe Atlantic and a safe Europe,” he said.
Responding to repeated remarks by President Trump questioning whether European allies would come to America’s defence, Rutte said he had reassured the US leader of Europe’s commitment.
He added that mutual defence obligations ran both ways and remained firm.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, speaking alongside Rutte in Davos, also struck a conciliatory note.
He said diplomacy offered a realistic way out from the current standoff and expressed confidence that tensions would ease.
“You have two schools of thought here on Greenland. One is to de-escalate, and the other one is to escalate,” Stubb said. “At the end of the day, we’ll find an off-ramp.”
The dispute has also carried economic overtones. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on European allies opposing US ambitions over Greenland, prompting discussions within the European Union about possible countermeasures if trade relations deteriorate.
