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In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the US ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker pushed back on the growing backlash in Europe with Washington’s focus on Greenland after France announced new military exercises with Denmark, saying that the security of the Arctic is an American security interest and that Europe “has a tendency to overreact.”
Asked if 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, reshaping the Arctic and opening up new routes. “The security of the north, which I have talked about a lot before this happened, is a very important issue,” he said. “As the ice melts and Arctic routes open, the security of the Arctic, so the security of Greenland, which is the northernmost point of the continental United States, is important.”
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(L-R) Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, US 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 stressed that Greenland’s location makes it central to US defense plans. “If you think about Greenland as part of the access to maritime assets, that monitoring and awareness and strengthening that part of the Western Hemisphere is important to the long-term security of the United States,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker said recent negotiations show the issue can be resolved 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 there will be some building,” he said.
However, he warned his European allies about the escalation of the conflict. “Europe sometimes has a tendency to overreact whenever the issue is on the table,” Whitaker said. “This is one of those things where cool heads need to prevail.”
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The warship 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”
Speaking from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Whitaker used Reagan’s doctrine of “peace through strength” as a reason to force NATO allies to spend more and move faster.
“The most important thing that we are doing in NATO, one, the United States is strong. No one denies that. We have shown with the Midnight Hammer, with what we have done in Venezuela and in other places, that the United States can and cannot produce power. We want all our allies within NATO to have equal power, and they are not at this time in time,” he said.
He added, “Some of them have become very powerful, which is why you can’t just paint with a broad brush when it comes to all of our NATO partners. But there are some who aren’t.”
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A Polish Army soldier sits on a tank as the NATO flag flies in the background during the NATO Noble Jump VJTF exercise on June 18, 2015, in Zagan, Poland. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
“Europe and the EU will have to get their hands off their backs,” he continued. “They’re going to have to give up control, they’re going to have to get more money and economic growth, because at the end of the day, that’s what will allow them to fulfill the promises they made to increase their defense spending and therefore their defense capability.”
He said, “One of the things I always talk about with our friends in the city center in the EU,” added Whitaker, “is that they have to get their economy going, and there are proven, tried and true ways to do that.”
Whitaker said the most important thing for him is to ensure that NATO allies follow the major defense commitments that were agreed last year in The Hague.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) and US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker (L) arrive at NATO Headquarters on the first day of the NATO International Ministerial Meeting on April 03, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)
“This is first on my list right now,” he said, “making sure that the political commitments we made in The Hague translate into NATO military power.”
He said the approach to Russia has shaped the way countries perceive this threat.
“You look at the Baltic countries like Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and you look at the Nordic countries … they are very aware of Russian threats. [poses],” Whitaker said, citing Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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NATO military personnel wait before the two-day NATO summit at the World Summit, in The Hague, on June 22, 2025. (Remko de Waal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
Poland, he added, stands out. “Poland has clear eyes,” Whitaker said. “They will spend more than 5% on defense in the next year or two.”
Others, he said, are still lacking. “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 skills,” he said. “It has to make them strong, ready to fight tonight.”
“President Trump announced a $1.5 trillion defense budget,” Whitaker said. “We have demonstrated our capabilities that no one else can match right now.”
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NATO leaders posted this photo taken in June. Military leaders met in Washington on Tuesday evening to discuss Ukraine’s security measures. (Claudia Greco/Reuters)
“I’m here at the Reagan Library, and it reminds me, Ronald Reagan was really able to put those policies in place to encourage growth,” Whitaker said. “Certainly President Trump has followed the same tradition, freeing American business, American innovation, and getting out of the way, removing regulations so American companies can grow and prosper.”
As NATO moves forward, Whitaker said pressure on allies will remain. “We are asking our European and Canadian partners to do more,” he said. “So far, so good.”
