A spectacle for Trump! NATO is strengthening its presence in the Arctic

NATO is strengthening its presence in the Arctic - a move that is aimed not so much at containing Russia as at containing US President Donald Trump. Diplomats and experts say that these efforts are mainly "rebranding". Their goal is to reassure the US president in response to the threat, which is largely exaggerated. The publication's sources, including NATO diplomats, Alliance officials and military analysts, point to a significant shift in NATO's attention to this region, triggered by intense pressure from the US after Trump's threats to annex Greenland. This reorientation, however, is dictated primarily by politics, not by an urgent military necessity, writes Politico.

NATO officially positions its new mission "Arctic Sentry" as critically important. However, these diplomatic efforts demonstrate the allies' intention to keep Washington on their side amid concerns that refusing to please Trump on the Greenland issue could lead to disaster.

"Given the increased military activity of Russia and the growing interest of China in the High North, it was extremely important for us to do more“, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told journalists.

Trump's threat regarding Greenland, made in January, became a turning point for many European countries, reinforcing their opinion of the United States as a persistently unreliable ally. The question looms over the Munich Security Conference, where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with many allied leaders.

Experts say any security concerns are greatly exaggerated, as NATO is more than capable of dealing with Russia in the Arctic.

“I hope they are just renaming some ongoing activity. If it involves a large number of living forces, especially in Greenland, it will be costly,“ said Carsten Friis, a research professor and Arctic security expert at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.

After repeatedly refusing to rule out the use of force to take over Greenland, the US president finally abandoned his campaign to acquire the Danish territory last month. The retreat was helped by a promise by Rutte and his allies that NATO would take Arctic security more seriously.

But experts remain deeply skeptical about the military necessity of such an initiative.

"I don't think NATO has a shortage of capabilities in the Arctic. The United States is capable of moving forces to Greenland to defend the Alliance", said Matthew Hickey, an analyst at the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies. According to him, given the US ability to move "thousands" of troops to Greenland from Alaska "within 12-24 hours" and the experience gained during the Ice Exercises, "it's more about a communication gap".