President Donald Trump talks to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22, 2025. (Jim Watson – AFP / Getty Images)
By Jack Davis January 21, 2026 at 7:51am
President Donald Trump’s contention that forceful measures must be in place to protect the Arctic region was seconded Wednesday by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trump has said that American ownership of Greenland is essential to providing security. Denmark, which controls the island, does not want to part with it, leading to an escalating war of words and threats of economic consequences.
Rutte spoke during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. Trump spoke to the group later on Wednesday.
“When it comes to the Arctic, I think President Trump is right,” Rutte said in a video posted to X. “Other leaders of NATO are right.”
“We need to defend the Arctic. We know that the sea lanes are opening up. We know that China and Russia are increasingly active in the Arctic,” he said.
NATO’s Rutte:
Trump is right. We must protect the Arctic from Russian and Chinese influence. pic.twitter.com/sSzwDUUxAr
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 21, 2026
“There are eight countries bordering the Arctic. Seven are members of NATO,” he said, listing Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Canada, and the United States.
The only nation with an Arctic border outside of NATO is Russia, he said.
“And I would argue there is a ninth country, which is China, which is increasingly active in the Arctic region,” he said.
“President Trump and other leaders are right; we have to do more there,” he continued. “We have to protect the Arctic against Russian and Chinese influence.”
Rutte also noted that the focus on Greenland takes Europe’s eyes off of its major issue, according to German media outlet DW.
“The focus on Ukraine should be the number one priority, it is crucial for European and U.S. security,” Rutte said.
“I am really worried that we lose sight and that, in the meantime, Ukrainians won’t have enough interceptor [missiles] to defend themselves.”
Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik offered a similar thought.
“These are demanding times. The situation in NATO is difficult,” Sandvik said, adding that the “dimensional threat for the West, for NATO… is still Russia.”
As noted by Time, Trump said Greenland should be part of America.
“Without us, right now you’d all be speaking German and Japanese, perhaps,” Trump said during his remarks, referring to World War II.
“After the war, we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that, but we did it, but we gave it back. But how ungrateful are they now?” he said.
“This enormous unsecured Island is actually part of North America, on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere,” Trump said. “That’s our territory.”
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues
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