Nato's Secretary General Mark Rutte tries to position himself behind both Denmark and the USA when he is questioned about his view on Donald Trump's demands on Greenland.
We have very good discussions with Denmark and all member countries, but it is quite clear that Trump is right when it comes to that we must do more regarding the area in the far north. It's not just about Greenland, but also about Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Canada, and even the USA itself. We will work together within Nato to ensure that we do what is required, promises Rutte on his way to a meeting in Brussels on Monday with the EU countries' heads of state and government.
Percentage Goals in Nato
Increased military investments in the Arctic are a way for Nato to meet President Trump halfway.
Another way is to increase Nato's goal of how much countries should spend on their defense. Today's goal of equivalent to two percent of the country's GDP will be significantly increased during the year – even if it hardly reaches as high as Trump's harsh demand of at least five percent.
A third way to keep Trump in a good mood would be to buy more weapons from the USA. At the same time, it risks going against the desire to strengthen the own weapons industry in Europe.
Only Benefiting Europe?
France has long been at the forefront of the countries that want any potential joint EU investments to go to European weapons and European companies.
Sweden – where the defense industry is closely linked to non-EU countries such as Norway, the UK, and the USA – wants to be more open.
It's strange that 80 percent of everything bought in Europe is bought from the USA, when we have a successful European defense industry. On the other hand, there is a risk if we were to exclude collaborations. The EU must not become an argument for avoiding good collaborations, says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (The Moderate Party) in Brussels.
