Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on European allies to stay focused on Ukraine despite mounting tensions over who should control Greenland.
“The main issue is not Greenland. Now, the main issue is Ukraine,” Rutte said, after repeating he would not comment on transatlantic tensions over Greenland.
Rutte has repeatedly dismissed questions about US President Donald Trump’s claim to acquire the Danish overseas territory for US national security. However, he acknowledged Trump’s concerns, saying the Arctic needed to be safe for the United States to be safe.
“I’m also a little bit worried that we might drop the ball, focusing so much on these other issues,” the NATO Secretary General added.
He said focusing on Ukraine should be “our number 1 priority, and then we can discuss all the issues, including Greenland.”
Rutte stressed that European allies should keep supporting Ukraine and not lose momentum. EU capitals are now discussing the implementation of a €90 billion loan to support Ukraine’s military and economic needs, even as they push for peace negotiations with Russia.
Ukrainians still need interceptors to ward off Russian attacks, Rutte said, adding that slowing support to Ukraine could mean that Kyiv misses out on US-made equipment that is no longer available in Europe.
Since the summer, NATO allies have been buying US weapons for Kyiv in $500 million packages via the NATO-coordinated PURL initiative.
Yet experts have warned that European support cannot fill the gaping hole left in international weapon deliveries since the US halted military aid to Ukraine last year.
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