Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 12, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 19, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleGerman Foreign Minister calls for NATO unity amid US-Greenland tensions, emphasizing the importance of Article 5 and European security.
By Alexander Ratz
WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday that NATO allies had to work together for security, and said Greenland and Denmark should decide the future of the island, which U.S. President Donald Trump says should belong to the United States.
Wadephul's comments, following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, came amid increasing tensions over Washington's aims toward Greenland, an autonomous region of Denmark which Trump says is vital for U.S. security.
Wadephul said his talks with Rubio had been friendly and intensive and had underlined the importance of the alliance between European countries and the United States.
But he echoed other European politicians in rejecting Trump's avowed intention to take control of Greenland, in defiance of his NATO allies.
"We will only strengthen security in the North Atlantic when we work together, in solidarity and united," he told reporters. "So with regard to the issues that concern Greenland and Denmark, it is up to Greenland and Denmark to decide and it is up to people in Greenland to decide."
The standoff over Greenland has fuelled deepening fears in Europe over the future of the NATO alliance, which Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said would be finished if the United States seized the island.
Wadephul said he and Rubio had agreed on the importance of the alliance in efforts to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine and said both were committed to so-called Article 5 provisions in the NATO treaty that commit member states to come to the defence of a member state under attack.
"And in this period of uncertainty and crises, this is of decisive importance. It is a clear signal to Russia that it should not try to threaten the NATO alliance," he said.
(Reporting by Alexander Ratz in Washington; Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a military alliance established in 1949 for mutual defense against aggression. It consists of member countries that agree to defend one another in case of an attack.
Article 5 of the NATO treaty states that an armed attack against one or more NATO members is considered an attack against all members, obligating them to respond collectively.
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