Asked whether the dispute reflects American pressure or European inaction, Whitaker said: “This is ultimately an issue between the United States, Denmark and Greenland.”
Whitaker said Greenland’s importance has been clear for years as the ice melts, reshapes the Arctic and opens up new routes. “The security of the Far North, which I talked about a lot before this ever happened, is the most important issue,” he said. “As the ice thaws and routes open up in the Arctic, security in the Arctic, and therefore the security of Greenland, which forms the northern flank of the continental United States, is critical.”
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(L-R) Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles during the NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government on June 25, 2025 in The Hague, Netherlands. (Brendan Smialowski – Pool/Getty Images)
He emphasized that Greenland’s location makes it central to U.S. defense planning. “If you consider Greenland as part of the access to naval assets, monitoring, awareness and strengthening of that part of the Western Hemisphere is critical to the long-term security of the United States,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker said the recent diplomacy shows the issue can be addressed without escalation. “I know there was a very successful meeting between the Danes and Greenland and Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, so I think it will be constructive,” he said.
Still, he warned European allies against escalating tensions. “Europe sometimes has a tendency to overreact when an issue comes up,” Whitaker said. “This is one of those things where cooler heads should prevail.”
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Military ship HDMS Ejnar Mikkelsen of the Royal Danish Navy patrols near Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo)
NATO, deterrence and the ‘Reagan spirit’
From the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Whitaker used Reagan’s “peace through strength” doctrine as justification to push NATO allies to spend more and act faster.
“The most important thing we do in NATO is that the United States is strong. No one denies that. We have shown through Midnight Hammer, through what we have done in Venezuela and elsewhere, that the United States is capable and can project power. We want all of our allies in NATO to be equally strong, and that is not the case right now,” he said.
He added: “Some of them have certainly become more capable, which is why you can’t just paint with a broad brush when it comes to all of our NATO allies. But there are also those who are not.”
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A Polish Army soldier sits in a tank as a NATO flag flies behind him during the NATO Noble Jump VJTF exercises on June 18, 2015 in Zagan, Poland. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
“Europe and the EU will have to untie their hands behind their backs,” he continued. “They’re going to have to deregulate, they’re going to have to find more capital and economic growth because ultimately that’s going to allow them to deliver on the promises they’ve made to increase their defense spending and therefore their defense capabilities.”
He said: “One of the things I talk about all the time with our friends in the center of the EU,” Whitaker added, “is that they need to get their economies going, and there are proven, proven ways to do that.”
Whitaker said his top priority is to ensure that NATO allies meet the major defense commitments they agreed to last year in The Hague.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) and U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker (L) arrive at NATO headquarters on the first day of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting on April 3, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)
“This is number one on my list right now,” he said, “to ensure that the political commitments we made in The Hague are translated into real military capabilities at NATO.”
He said Russia’s proximity has determined how seriously countries take the threat.
“You look at the Baltic countries like Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and you look at the Scandinavian countries… they are very aware of the threats that Russia [poses]Whitaker said, referring to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
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A NATO force stands guard ahead of the two-day NATO summit at the World Forum in The Hague on June 22, 2025. (Remko de Waal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
Poland, he added, stands out. “Poland is clear-eyed,” Whitaker said. “They’re going to spend over 5% on nuclear defense over the next two years.”
Others, he said, are still behind. “I keep a dashboard, a one-page dashboard on my desk that is updated regularly,” Whitaker said. “It’s too early to tell.” “It has to be about capabilities,” he said. “It should make them stronger, ready to fight tonight.”
“President Trump has announced a $1.5 trillion defense budget,” Whitaker said. “We have demonstrated capabilities that no one else can match right now.”
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NATO leaders pose in this photo taken in June. Military leaders will meet in Washington on Tuesday evening to discuss security options for Ukraine. (Claudia Greco/Reuters)
“I’m here at the Reagan Library and it reminds me that Ronald Reagan was really able to put those policies in place to stimulate growth,” Whitaker said. “President Trump has certainly followed the same tradition of unleashing the American entrepreneur, unleashing and getting out of the way of American innovation, getting rid of regulations so that American businesses can grow and prosper.”
As NATO makes progress, Whitaker said pressure on allies will continue. “We are asking our European and Canadian allies to do more,” he said. “So far so good.”
