NATO Secretary-General and US President Discuss Greenland and Arctic Security

JAKARTA - The Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) revealed that he had spoken to President Donald Trump via telephone on Sunday, saying the two would continue discussions on security in Greenland and the Arctic.

"I spoke with POTUS (President of the United States) about the security situation in Greenland and the Arctic. We will continue to work on this, and I hope to meet him in Davos this weekend," Secretary-General Rutte wrote on social media X, as quoted Monday (19/1).

It is known that Greenland, an autonomous region within the Kingdom of Denmark, has long attracted the attention of the US due to its strategic location and abundant mineral resources, quoted from Anadolu.

President Trump himself has for years talked about the idea of buying or annexing the Arctic region, citing security reasons by highlighting China and Russia, as reported by Al Arabiya from AFP.

However, President Trump's desire was strongly rejected by the leaders of a number of countries in Europe.

Last week, Rutte's secretary-general said allied countries were discussing "next steps" to ensure security in the Arctic, citing the risk of Russia and China becoming "more active" in this strategic region.

"All allies agree on the importance of the Arctic and Arctic security, because we know that with the opening of the sea lanes, there is a risk that Russia and China will become more active. And as you know, there are eight Arctic countries," Rutte told reporters at a joint press conference with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic in Zagreb.

Rutte's secretary general said seven of the eight Arctic states are NATO members - the US, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden - while Russia remains the only Arctic state outside the alliance.

China, he added, has also become an increasingly active player in the region despite having no geographical presence.

"Currently, China is almost a kind of Arctic country, not geographically, but at least in terms of its many activities and interests in the region," Rutte explained.

Last weekend, President Trump on Saturday said Washington would impose additional tariffs of 10 percent on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland starting February 1, rising to 25 percent in June, due to their opposition to US control of Greenland.

Following the announcement, European leaders, including the president of the European Council and the European Commission, pledged to provide a coordinated response.