Any Greenland pact must go before all allies
Spain’s foreign minister has made clear that any new security arrangement for Greenland negotiated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte cannot bypass the rest of the alliance and must be presented to all member states for discussion.
Speaking to Euronews on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, José Manuel Albares stressed that the understanding announced between Rutte and US President Donald Trump was not a NATO agreement as such, but a bilateral exchange involving the alliance’s secretary general and one individual ally.
“So far, all we have is the public announcement,” Albares said, adding that he had spoken to fellow foreign ministers who were equally in the dark. “Whatever has been discussed will, I am sure, be brought before the NATO Council.”
President Trump revealed on Wednesday that Washington and Rutte had reached an agreement on Greenland’s security, opening the door for an expanded US military presence and more American bases in the Arctic territory after weeks of heightened tension.
Sovereignty, not bargaining chips
Albares was emphatic that Greenland’s future cannot be decided in Washington or Brussels. According to the Spanish minister, only Greenlanders and Denmark have the right to determine the territory’s path — and they have already been clear about wanting to remain part of the Danish kingdom.
Trump has previously threatened tariffs against several European countries, including Denmark, France and Germany, while pushing for what he described as the “complete and total sale” of Greenland, arguing it was vital for US national security and for countering China and Russia in the Arctic.
Danish authorities have consistently rejected those claims, saying Greenland is not for sale and that both Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty must be respected. Copenhagen also stated that Greenland’s sovereignty was not part of the arrangement announced by Trump, according to Euronews.
Call for Europe to take charge of its defence
Beyond Greenland, Albares used the moment to deliver a broader warning about US pressure on Europe. He told Euronews that the European Union would not negotiate “under coercion” and reminded Washington that the bloc has its own economic and political tools to respond.
He also renewed calls for Europe to strengthen its own security structures, arguing that peace requires credible deterrence. That, he said, means deeper defence cooperation, closer integration of European defence industries and, ultimately, movement towards a European army.
“If we want to remain a continent of peace, where no one can threaten us with force or economic pressure, we need deterrence in our own hands,” Albares said. “In the end, that means a truly European security capability.”
