NATO chief Marks Rutte says two 'workstreams' on Greenland agreed with Trump

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday (January 26) that he and US President Donald Trump have agreed on two “workstreams” to reduce tensions over the semi-autonomous territory of Greenland, a strategic Arctic region.

Rutte told members of the European Parliament that one of the workstreams falls under NATO’s collective responsibility.

“Basically, what was discussed last week, what in the end we agreed was two workstreams going forward: one workstream is for NATO collectively, to take more responsibility for the defence of the Arctic,” Rutte said.

He added that NATO’s role will focus on preventing Russia and China from gaining greater access to the Arctic region.

“So one workstream will be to see how best collectively we can prevent the Russian and the Chinese getting more access to the Arctic Region … that is one workstream, NATO clearly being in charge here,” Rutte said.

Bilateral talks to continue

The second workstream, according to Rutte, will not involve NATO, but instead cover continued discussions between the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland regarding strategic and defence-related issues.

“The second workstream is about the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland continuing discussions,” he said, noting NATO will have no role in this track.