The outline deal struck by Mark Rutte and Donald Trump to step up Nato’s presence in the Arctic – so long as it does not undermine the sovereignty of Greenland or Denmark – has been available to the US for some time, but it will require new resources being devoted to the central task of monitoring Russian ship movements in the region.
What remains in question is whether the deal will stick given Trump’s erratic behaviour, and whether it gives the US president the access to Greenland’s critical minerals as he claims it does. The issue of a multibillion-dollar “Golden Dome” defence shield potentially being partly housed in Greenland also remains unresolved.
