BRUSSELS, January 13. /TASS/. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has admitted that there are no ships belonging to either Russia or China around Greenland, but posits that they could appear at any moment, as he told the Global Europe conference, organized by the supranational liberal faction in the European Parliament, Renew Europe.
"Even if there are no ships sailing at the moment, but with the seas opening up it’s not only Russia being active there, it is also China being active there," Rutte said in response to a comment by a Danish MEP that "the people of Greenland are scared stiff, stressed and more than just worried [while] there is not a single Russian or China around Greenland." Earlier, US President Donald Trump alleged that there were Russian and Chinese ships all over the place around Greenland, while Denmark was unable to step up its security of the territory.
During his speech, the NATO Secretary General also promised to continue negotiations within the alliance to strengthen Greenland's defense so that the United States would not need to annex the island.
Trump has repeatedly stated the need for Greenland to join the United States. Even during his first term, he offered to buy Greenland, and in March 2025 he expressed confidence that it could be annexed. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller had previously questioned Denmark's right to control the island and said it should become part of the United States.
Greenland is part of Denmark as an autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen, in addition to allied commitments to NATO, signed the Greenland Defense Treaty. Under it, the United States has committed itself to defending the island from possible aggression.