"Ukraine Must Come Before Greenland"

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance must keep its full focus on Ukraine, stressing that European and U.S. security depends on sustained military and financial support for Kyiv as Russian strikes continue.

Ukraine Comes First

Rutte underlined that while disputes such as Greenland should be resolved peacefully, they must not divert attention from the war in Ukraine.

“On Greenland, we have to make sure that the issue is solved in an amicable way,” Rutte said. “But the main issue is not Greenland. The main issue is Ukraine.”

He warned that Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are ongoing, adding that NATO allies cannot afford to “drop the ball” by shifting focus to secondary issues.

“Ukraine should be our number one priority,” Rutte said. “Then we can discuss all the other issues, including Greenland. But it should be Ukraine first, because it is crucial for our security.”

Transatlantic Unity and Article 5

Addressing concerns over transatlantic tensions, Rutte said he is working behind the scenes to ease disagreements between Europe and the United States, cautioning that public disputes could undermine diplomacy.

He also rejected doubts over NATO’s collective defense commitments, referencing U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks questioning whether European allies would respond if Article 5 were triggered.

“I told him yes, they will,” Rutte said. “They did after the 9/11 attacks—the only time Article 5 has been invoked.”

Rutte added that collective defense works both ways.
“I have no doubt that the U.S. would come to the rescue here, and we would come to the rescue of the U.S. We need each other for our collective protection.”

Defense Spending and Trump’s Impact

Rutte pushed back against criticism of Trump, arguing that U.S. pressure played a decisive role in forcing NATO allies to increase defense spending.

“Without Trump, eight big economies in Europe—including Spain, Italy and Belgium—and Canada would not have reached the two-percent defense spending target in 2025,” Rutte said.

“At the beginning of the year, they were at just 1.5 percent. Without Trump, this would never have happened.”

Arctic Security Warning

Rutte also backed Trump’s warning on Arctic security, saying NATO must protect the region from growing Russian and Chinese influence.

“Trump is right,” Rutte said. “We must protect the Arctic from Russian and Chinese influence.”

He stressed that NATO is not divided into separate rescue blocs, but functions as a fully integrated alliance.

“NATO is structured in such a way that the United States, Canada and European allies are completely integrated,” he said. “We are working completely integrated.”