El País: NATO allies plan Arctic mission without US participation

European allies and Canada are stepping up efforts to reinforce regional security as the United States signals a reduced role within NATO. A group of 12 countries, including Spain, is preparing a new naval mission focused on the North Atlantic and Arctic, aimed at strengthening maritime security and countering Russian activity, alliance sources, quoted by El País, said.

The initiative, which will not involve U.S. forces, reflects sustained pressure from President Donald Trump for Europe to assume greater responsibility within the alliance. It also follows renewed remarks by Trump suggesting the United States should take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

“Greenland should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” Trump said in Ankara ahead of a NATO summit. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rejected the idea, stating: “It is a well-known position of the United States that it wants to own and take over Greenland. I hope that it is equally well-known everywhere that this is not going to happen.”

The proposed naval mission—expected to be approved during the summit—would involve countries including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Nordic nations, Canada, Portugal and Spain. It will focus on sustained patrols and joint exercises across a vast क्षेत्र stretching from the Arctic to the open Atlantic, an area NATO increasingly views as strategically interconnected.

The effort is part of a broader European push to assume a greater share of NATO responsibilities. Additional initiatives include developing long-range strike capabilities, following Washington’s decision to cancel the deployment of such systems to Germany.

At the same time, U.S. officials have informed allies of plans to scale back military contributions to NATO in a кризис scenario. The proposed reductions would affect key capabilities, including fighter jets, strategic bombers, naval assets, tanker aircraft and drones. The Pentagon is also conducting a six-month review of its military presence in Europe, warning that outcomes could reshape commitments.

These steps align with a broader U.S. strategic shift toward the Indo-Pacific and follow earlier troop withdrawals from Germany.

European countries are now seeking to fill the gap. Spain, for instance, has pledged additional aircraft, a frigate and air-defence systems. However, alliance officials caution that replacing integrated U.S. military capabilities will be complex and time-consuming.

By Tamilla Hasanova