Rutte says Trump has ‘a big point’ on Arctic security

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said US President Donald Trump has “a big point” on Arctic security, as NATO launched a new initiative aimed at increasing coordination and vigilance in the High North amid growing Russian and Chinese activity.

Speaking at NATO Headquarters in Brussels ahead of the Defence Ministers meeting on 12 February, Rutte confirmed NATO had launched “Arctic Sentry” just hours before the press conference, describing it as a major step in bringing Allied activity in the region under a single operational approach. Asked whether Arctic Sentry was linked to Trump’s repeated focus on Greenland and Arctic sea routes, Rutte said the US President’s concerns were justified and should be taken seriously.

“It’s important that we collectively understand that he has a big point here, and that he is very clear on Arctic security and risks of the opening sea lanes we see there,” Rutte said.

He warned that the opening of Arctic sea lanes would increase the presence and activity of both Russia and China, and said NATO could not afford to be complacent. “The Russians and the Chinese will become increasingly more active there, and therefore we have to be very watchful and not naive,” he added.

Rutte said Arctic Sentry was one of several workstreams discussed following his meeting with Trump in Davos, and described it as a concrete result of that strategic direction. “This is one, making sure that NATO collectively will take more responsibility for the protection of the Arctic. And Arctic Sentry is a clear result of that,” he said.

He confirmed that NATO would coordinate Arctic activities under Supreme Allied Commander Europe, with responsibility delegated to Joint Force Command Norfolk, and said the initiative would draw on Allied Command Transformation to incorporate emerging technologies and identify capability gaps. While he declined to go into further operational detail, Rutte said the approach was similar to NATO’s existing “Baltic Sentry” and “Eastern Sentry” initiatives, designed to improve coordination and readiness across sensitive regions.