Why is the Arctic so important for the US, China, Russia and Europe? - DW News

[TexasTowelie]

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has had some sharp words for Europe regarding the continent's military preparedness. He told EU lawmakers to 'keep on dreaming' if they think its possible to defend Europe without the United States.

His remarks come with relations between Europe and the US at a low point amid Donald Trump's repeated threats to acquire Greenland. Trump has insisted the US needs to take control of the Arctic island to prevent Russia and China from doing so.

00:00 What makes the arctic so important
00:33 Marisol Maddox, Institute of Arctic Studies

[ChicagoTeamster]

1. Russia has only 1 aircraft carrier. They can't project power beyond the next country over. China's about to implode.

Neither Russia or China presently has the means to launch and maintain the logistics of an invasion of Greenland. Russia can't even sustain an invasion of neighboring country Ukraine.

China's birth rate is so low and their economy is so bad they can't recover from the losses and need what they have for Taiwan and the Chinese areas of western Russia.

As fellow NATO members Trump could have simply asked Greenland to allow the US to base more military assets there and ask European NATO countries to chip in their share and Greenland would be secure for years to come. Now they may not trust Trump enough to allow more US assets beyond air defense.

It's like Venezuela, Trump wants to control access to the resources so that he can grift off of it.