Lithuania president says joint security deal could end Greenland row
By Dave Graham
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Tuesday that an agreement to share responsibility for the security of the Arctic and North Atlantic could provide a way out of the impasse between the United States and Europe over Greenland.
The Greenland issue was overshadowing the war in Ukraine and playing into Russia’s hands, Nauseda told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, and called on Washington to de-escalate tensions.
“The best outcome would be to agree on shared responsibility for the security of the Arctic region and the North Atlantic region. Is it possible to achieve this? We must do our best to go this way because it is the best way,” he said.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday there was “no turning back” from his goal of seizing Greenland and refused to rule out seizing the Arctic island by force and cracking down on allies.
Trump’s ambition to wrest sovereignty over Greenland from NATO member Denmark has threatened the disintegration of the alliance that has supported Western security for decades.
EU leaders will discuss their options at an emergency summit on Thursday. This will show whether Europe can form a united front on Greenland, Nauseda said. He said the next two weeks would likely show how the dispute would be resolved.
Arguing that the future of NATO is in danger, Nauseda said he hopes countries that may be skeptical about support for Ukraine will understand that Europe has reached a critical juncture.
Trump will speak in Davos on Wednesday, and Nauseda said he hopes the US President will send some signals to reduce tensions over Greenland.
Stating that protecting territorial integrity is an “inviolable principle”, Nauseda said there is always room to reduce tensions.
“But of course the prerequisite is that both sides want to de-escalate, and I’m not sure about that now. It’s clear that Europe is willing to de-escalate. I hope the United States will too.”
Lithuania’s president said the Greenland dispute was diverting attention from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and creating additional difficulties for Europe’s eastern flank.
He said Washington’s continued support is vital as Europe prepares to take responsibility for its own security.
“Europe needs time to implement this strategic autonomy not only on paper but in reality,” Nauseda said.
“We need 10 to 15 years,” he added.
(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Alexander Smith)
