NEW YORK, January 18. /TASS/. The United States will continue to be a part of NATO, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
"Of course, we are going to remain a part of NATO," he told NBC News.
When asked what is more essential for the US national security, NATO or Greenland, he said, "Both." "That’s obviously a false choice," he noted. "The European leaders will come around. And they will understand that they need to be under the U.S. security umbrella."
On January 17, Trump announced on Truth Social that the Washington administration has imposed 10% duties on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, Finland and the Netherlands, which will remain in force until agreements are reached on "the full and final acquisition of Greenland" by the United States.
This decision comes into effect on February 1, Trump added. As he stressed, from June 1, the rate of these duties will increase to 25%. Furthermore, Trump criticized Europe's intention to send its forces to Greenland, calling it "a very dangerous game." He argued that possession of Greenland is necessary to strengthen US national security and the effective deployment of the American Golden Dome missile defense system.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within Denmark. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen signed the Greenland Defense Treaty in addition to their NATO commitments. Under the agreement, the United States undertook to defend the island against potential aggression.