In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, U.S. ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker pushed back against growing European backlash over Washington’s focus on Greenland after France announced new military exercises with Denmark, saying Arctic security is a core American defense interest and that Europe "has a tendency to overreact."

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, it reshapes the Arctic and opens new routes. "The security of the high north, which I’ve talked about a lot before this ever happened, is the most important issue," he said. "As the ice thaws and as routes open up in the Arctic, Arctic security, and therefore the security of Greenland, which is the northern flank of the continental United States, is crucial."

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He stressed that Greenland’s location makes it central to U.S. defense planning. "If you think about Greenland as part of the access to the naval assets, that monitoring and awareness and fortification of that part of the Western Hemisphere is crucial for the long-term security of the United States," Whitaker said.

Whitaker said recent diplomacy shows the issue can be addressed without escalation. "I know that a very successful meeting happened between the Danes and Greenland and Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, so I think it’s going to be constructive," he said.

Still, he cautioned European allies against inflaming tensions. "Europe sometimes has a tendency to overreact anytime that an issue is put out on the table," Whitaker said. "This is one of those things where cooler heads need to prevail."

Speaking from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Whitaker used Reagan’s "peace through strength" doctrine as justification for pushing NATO allies to spend more and move faster.

"The most important thing that we're doing at NATO is, one, the United States is strong. Nobody denies that. We have demonstrated through Midnight Hammer, through what we did in Venezuela and elsewhere, that the United States is capable and can project power. We want all of our allies inside of NATO to be equally as strong, and they're not at this point in time," he said.

He added, "Some of them have certainly become more capable, and that's why you can't just paint with a broad brush when it comes to all of our NATO allies. But there are some that are not."

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"Europe and the EU are going to have to untie their hands from behind their back," he continued. "They’re going to have to deregulate, they are going to have to find more capital and economic growth, because at the end of the day, that's what's going to allow them to live up to the promises they've made to increase their defense spending and therefore their defense capabilities."

He said, "One of the things that I'm talking about constantly with our friends downtown in the EU," Whitaker added, "is that they have to get their economy going, and there are proven, tried-and-true ways to do it."

Whitaker said his top priority is ensuring NATO allies follow through on the major defense commitments agreed to last year in The Hague.

"This is number one on my list right now," he said, "making sure that the political commitments we made in The Hague turn into real military capabilities at NATO."

He said proximity to Russia has shaped how seriously countries take the threat.

"You look at the Baltic countries like Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and you look at the Nordic countries… they’re very aware of the threats that Russia [poses]," Whitaker said, citing Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

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Poland, he added, stands out. "Poland is clear-eyed," Whitaker said. "They’re gonna spend over 5% on core defense in the coming year or two."

Others, he said, are still lagging. "I keep a dashboard, a one-page dashboard on my desk that is updated regularly," Whitaker said. "It’s too soon to tell." "It has to be on capabilities," he said. "It has to make them stronger, ready to fight tonight."

"President Trump announced a $1.5 trillion defense budget," Whitaker said. "We’ve demonstrated our capabilities that nobody else can match right now."

"I’m here at the Reagan Library, and it reminds me, Ronald Reagan really was able to put those policies in place to spur growth," Whitaker said. "President Trump certainly has followed that same tradition, to unleash the American entrepreneur, unleash American innovation, and get out of the way, get the regulations out of the way so that American companies can grow and prosper."

As NATO moves forward, Whitaker said pressure on allies will remain. "We’re asking our European and Canadian allies to do more," he said. "So far, so good."

A Minnesota judge issued a ruling Friday barring federal officers from detaining or deploying tear gas against peaceful protesters who are not obstructing authorities while participating in Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.

The order from U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez restricting the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal agents comes amid ongoing protests and heightened tension in Minneapolis after an ICE agent fatally shot Minnesota resident Renee Good earlier this month.

The ruling prohibits officers from retaliating against anyone peacefully protesting or observing the actions of immigration officers, adding that federal agents must show probable cause or reasonable suspicion that someone has committed a crime or is interfering with law enforcement operations.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said following the ruling that the First Amendment does not protect "rioting," adding that DHS is "taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters."

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"We remind the public that rioting is dangerous—obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and assaulting law enforcement is a felony," McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Rioters and terrorists have assaulted law enforcement, launched fireworks at them, slashed the tires of their vehicles, and vandalized federal property. Others have chosen to ignore commands and have attempted to impede law enforcement operations and used their vehicles as weapons against our officers."

McLaughlin added that "assaulting and obstructing law enforcement is a felony." 

"Despite these grave threats and dangerous situations, our law enforcement has followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property," she stated.

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Under the ruling, federal agents cannot use pepper-spray or other non-lethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools against peaceful protesters, the ruling states.

Additionally, Menendez wrote that safely following officers "at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop."

The ruling stems from a case filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota activists, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, who argued that government officers were violating the constitutional rights of Twin City residents.

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Government attorneys said officers were acting within their legal authority and appropriately to violence as they've enforced immigration laws across the country and in Minnesota.

The ongoing unrest in Minneapolis comes after two recent shootings involving ICE agents in the city.

Good died on Jan. 7 after an ICE agent shot into her vehicle through the driver's side windshield and open window after she allegedly attempted to run him over. He could be heard on video after the fact saying "f---ing b---h" as her car crashed into a parked car.

While Democrats and local residents have condemned the shooting as a murder and called for the agent's prosecution, the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have defended the incident, arguing it was a justified shooting.

Then, on Wednesday, an ICE officer was seriously injured after being ambushed by three illegal immigrants during a traffic stop targeting a Venezuelan national, according to federal officials. One suspect was shot, and all three were taken into custody after the stop escalated into a foot chase and violent struggle, authorities said.

Menendez is presiding over a separate lawsuit filed Monday by the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul seeking to suspend the enforcement crackdown.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Fox News Digital's Sophia Compton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.