Sidestepping Greenland row, Nato chief urges Arctic unity to counter China and Russia

At Davos, Mark Rutte calls for Nato to ‘defend the Arctic region’ but says Ukraine should be top priority for security alliance

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People wave the flag of Greenland as an aircraft carrying the island’s foreign minister lands in Nuuk on Tuesday, following her high-level meetings with US officials in Washington. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:21pm, 21 Jan 2026Updated: 9:40pm, 21 Jan 2026

Nato members must collectively protect the Arctic from growing Chinese and Russian influence, the chief of the security alliance said on Wednesday, while sidestepping the issue of Washington’s controversial bid to acquire Greenland.

Speaking at an event during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said the transatlantic security alliance was crucial not only for the defence of Europe, but also for the US, which required a “safe Arctic, a safe Atlantic and a safe Europe”.

While he did not comment on the row between the US and its European allies over Greenland, Rutte said US President Donald Trump was “right” that Nato needed to defend the Arctic, as China and Russia were “increasingly active” in the far north.

“There are eight countries bordering on the Arctic,” he said, noting that seven were Nato members: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Canada and the US.

“And there’s only one country bordering on the Arctic outside Nato. That’s Russia. And I would argue there is a ninth country, which is China, which is increasingly active in the Arctic region,” Rutte said.

“So President Trump and other leaders are right. We have to do more there. We have to protect the Arctic against Russian and Chinese influence … We are working on that, making sure that collectively, we will defend the Arctic region.”

The Trump administration has doubled down on its military ambitions in the western hemisphere following its operation in Venezuela earlier this month, with the US leader continuing to push for the acquisition of Greenland.

Sidestepping Greenland row, Nato chief urges Arctic unity to counter China and Russia

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}At Davos, Mark Rutte calls for Nato to ‘defend the Arctic region’ but says Ukraine should be top priority for security alliance

At Davos, Mark Rutte calls for Nato to ‘defend the Arctic region’ but says Ukraine should be top priority for security alliance