Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said Greenland is protected by NATO Article 5.
advertisementFinland’s foreign minister said Greenland is protected by NATO Article 5, which invokes mutual defense in case of armed attack or invasion.
According to Elina Valtonen, Article 5 also applies to Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO member Denmark.
When asked to confirm whether Denmark protects Greenland, she replied: “That’s right.”
“It’s also good that Greenland is part of Denmark and that Denmark is a member of NATO,” Valtonen told Euronews’ European Conversation.
Article 5, which states that an attack against one is an attack against all, is the cornerstone of NATO’s Allied Defense Agreement.
The issue arose as US President Donald Trump recently renewed calls from his first administration to seize Greenland to strengthen US power in the Arctic Ocean.
He also wanted to seize the Panama Canal and make Canada the 51st state of the United States.
Asked if he would end the military occupation of Greenland or Panama, he said: “No, I can’t guarantee either.”
But Valtonen said he believed Trump’s vocal demands for acquiring Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada must be “distinguished” from his true intentions.
“With Trump, you have to distinguish between the way he speaks and what he really means,” she says. “The Arctic is more important than ever, so as an alliance we should also put more emphasis on Arctic security.”
Due to global warming, the Arctic ice sheets are melting, opening new shipping routes for large ships and shortening sailing times. Greenland also supplies rare minerals, oil and gas.
China and Russia have already expanded their presence in the region, and the United States is also keen to expand its footprint while also making its presence felt.
Meanwhile, Finnish authorities are continuing to investigate the seized oil tanker Eagle S, which they believe is part of a shadowy Russian fleet and may have been involved in damaging undersea communications cables.
Finland is responding decisively to attacks from Russia as part of a hybrid war against Western targets. The attacks included sabotage of critical infrastructure, harmful disinformation, cyberattacks, and GPS jamming, which authorities say were deployed to enable attacks by a shadow fleet of fuel carriers. He claims it’s a tactic. Avoid detection.
“This is not just a Finnish problem,” Valtonen said.
advertisementLast week, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb launched the Baltic Sentry together with its Baltic neighbors and NATO. It commits Baltic allies to strengthen infrastructure security and surveillance in response to hybrid warfare threats.
“Much of the damage we have experienced in the Baltic Sea region over the past 18 months has a direct impact on several coastal countries,” Valtonen said.
“The shadow fleet is essentially responsible for transporting illegal oil…which means it is responsible for funding Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” she explained.
