Support for Ukraine against Russia is NATO’s main focus, not the row over Greenland, the leaders of the military alliance, Poland and Finland sought to reassure on Wednesday.
“The main issue is not Greenland,” NATO’s Mark Rutte told a panel in Davos. “The main issue is Ukraine.”
He said he is “a bit worried we might drop the ball (on Ukraine) focusing so much on other issues”, or that some might think the urgency of the conflict is over with the peace process advancing. The US and Ukraine have said they are close to finalising their joint 20-point peace plan, while the EU has agreed to provide Kyiv with €90 billion in financing.
“This focus on Ukraine should be our number one priority,” Rutte emphasised, arguing it is “crucial” for both European and American security.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki similarly said Ukraine is Europe’s “main problem”. He added that he is “not afraid” of seeing the issue of Greenland overshadow Ukraine, notably because “we understand the problem about Ukraine and still feel the Russian threat. We are still in Eastern Central Europe under the Russian threats and I think that we are in the middle of the hybrid war”.
“We have to consider this problem as the main problem in Europe today, and I am very happy that we are moving – maybe slowly – toward a long-lasting peace in Ukraine. This must happen,” Nawrocki said.
On the issue of Ukraine, Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, said he is “more worried about Russia’s unwillingness to end this war, because they cannot afford to do so, than about Russia’s capability to win this war, not end this war because they’re moving ahead”.
“So let’s keep things into perspective. NATO hasn’t entered the scene yet, and they have not been able to advance in the past four years as much as they expected,” he said.