Trump Greenland Ambitions Face NATO, Russia, China Rivalry
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- Crisis Group's "War & Peace" podcast dedicated an episode to Arctic security, featuring Arctic Institute Senior Fellow Gabriella Gricius to examine how great power competition is playing out in the High North.
- President Donald Trump's push to acquire Greenland is scrutinized for strategic logic, with the episode questioning whether the U.S. needs to own the island and whether the issue could re-emerge.
- NATO is expanding its footprint in the High North through a new mission called Arctic Sentry, which the episode examines in terms of its strategic rationale.
- Russia's Arctic priorities are shifting in response to Finland and Sweden joining the alliance, recalibrating Moscow's posture in the region.
- China's growing interest in the Arctic is explored as part of the broader great power competition picture in the region.
- European capitals face a dilemma responding to unpredictability from both Washington and Moscow, though the episode identifies remaining space for cooperation in the region.
Why it matters: European capitals now face simultaneous unpredictability from Washington and Moscow in the Arctic, with NATO's new Arctic Sentry mission and Trump's renewed Greenland push forcing Europe to seek cooperation space amid intensifying great power competition. Finland and Sweden's NATO accession is already reshaping Russia's regional posture, adding urgency to a strategic environment long treated as low-tension.
