Rutte says Greenland's political future is not within NATO's mandate

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he has no authority to discuss Greenland's political future or make any commitments on the issue, stressing that the relevant talks are being held by the United States, Denmark and the island's leadership.

Report's Europe bureau informs that Rutte made the remarks at a press conference on the results of the NATO summit in Ankara, in response to a request to comment on US President Donald Trump's latest statements on Greenland.

Rutte said the agreements he reached with Trump in January concerned only Greenland's security. According to him, the parties agreed that NATO needed to strengthen coordination of its activities in the region due to Russia and China's growing activity.

"The president was absolutely right. There is a serious risk related to Russia and China increasingly strengthening their positions in the Arctic," the secretary general said.

He noted that NATO is implementing an initiative to strengthen Arctic security with the participation of seven allies that have access to the region, including the United States, Canada, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

At the same time, Rutte stressed that the second aspect of the agreements does not fall within NATO's mandate. Separate trilateral talks between the United States, Denmark and Greenland focus on future investments in defense infrastructure, including the possible deployment of elements of the Golden Dome missile defense system and a military contingent on the island, as well as ensuring that these arrangements remain in force if Greenland's constitutional status within Denmark changes.

"I am not involved in these talks. This is a matter for the three parties," he said.