Davos, 22 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) - NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said "there is still a lot of work to be done" among the parties involved in the dispute over the control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous island belonging to Denmark.

Rutte told US broadcaster Fox News that he and US President Donald Trump agreed in talks on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos that the Arctic region must be protected jointly.

The NATO boss added that the United States would continue its talks with Greenland and Denmark, including on preventing Russia and China from gaining access to Greenland's economy.

Describing the talks as producing a "very good" outcome, Rutte stressed that "there is still a lot of work to be done."

He said the sides had agreed to look at what NATO could collectively contribute to make sure that the whole Arctic region is safe, emphasizing the need for measures on land, at sea and in the air to protect what he called an important part of the world and of NATO territory.

Asked whether the framework for a possible Greenland agreement announced earlier by Trump would provide for the largely autonomous Arctic island to remain Danish, Rutte said "that issue did not come up anymore in my conversations tonight."

The focus, Rutte said, had been on protecting Greenland.

Trump had earlier said that a framework for a future agreement on Greenland and the entire Arctic region had emerged from his meeting with Rutte.

The US president also said he would not impose punitive tariffs on European countries supporting Denmark after all, days after he threatened to.

Rutte had earlier confirmed Trump's comments about a framework for a possible Greenland agreement, but said he did not want to provide any details.

Photo: EPA