United States President Donald Trump has said it is “unacceptable” for Greenland to remain a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark and called for NATO to get behind his demands that it be transferred to US ownership.
“NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. If we don’t, Russia or China will, and that is not going to happen,” he posted on his social media outlet, Truth Social.
“Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent – not even close! They know that, and so do I”, Trump wrote.
The US president’s renewed threat to acquire Greenland through coercive means came hours before foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland were due to meet US Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House.
The meeting is taking place at the request of the Europeans, but Trump’s latest salvo signalling a meeting of minds is unlikely to materialise.
“I guess Denmark, Greenland agenda with the talks in DC today is to try to initiate a dialogue of substance on security,” former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt wrote on X, “but JD Vance has been given the task of securing surrender. That, of course, will not happen, and then the real phase of this crisis starts. Fasten seat belts.”
The governments in both Copenhagen and Nuuk have consistently said that Greenland, the world’s largest island, is “not for sale”.
On Tuesday, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen insisted on Tuesday that if forced to choose between being a protectorate of Denmark and Europe or a possession of the US, Greenland would choose Europe.
“One thing must be clear to everyone, Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States,” Nielsen said.
“Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States. We choose Greenland as we know it now and that’s as part of the community of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Trump responded to Nielsen’s rejection of his proposed takeover by saying, “That’s going to be a big problem for him.”
Meanwhile, Europe is scrambling to respond to the White House’s evolving demands.
Should Trump follow through on his bellicose rhetoric to “have” Greenland either through monetary or otherwise, it would be a death knell for both the broad transatlantic alliance and NATO specifically.
NATO sources have told Euronews they “despair” at the spectre of allies turning on each other amid global instability – not least with the war in Ukraine still grinding on.
While the Trump administration claims Greenland is a weak link in US security architecture, the US has significantly decreased its military presence there since the end of the Cold War and now operates only one site on the island, the still-functioning Pituffik Space Base.
NATO allies say they agree with the US’s claims that the Arctic requires stronger security to safeguard it against Russian and Chinese interests, while global warming and melting ice caps present new trade and transport opportunities in the High North region.
“With sea lanes opening up, there is a risk that the Russians and the Chinese will be more active”, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday in Zagreb.
In an attempt to allay US concerns, the governments of Denmark, Germany, the UK and France have all said they are prepared to participate in enhanced surveillance in the region across sea, land and air, with military exercises potentially included.
Meanwhile, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen confirmed on Wednesday that Copenhagen is moving to expand its permanent military presence in Greenland with the participation of other countries.
“Geopolitical tensions have spread to the Arctic,” the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. “From today, there will be an expanded military presence in and around Greenland – in close cooperation with NATO allies.”
“The purpose is to train the ability to operate under the unique Arctic conditions and to strengthen the alliance’s footprint in the Arctic, benefiting both European and transatlantic security.”
Earlier in the week, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said allies were “discussing what is needed” in the Arctic.
“It is not just in the American interest that Greenland and the Arctic remain safe, but it is in the interest of NATO and Europe as a whole”, he said.
“The North Atlantic route is absolutely essential for the transfer of goods between the US and the EU and for our relations. Germany is involved in these discussions and we’re close coordinating with Denmark.”
“Right now, it would be too early to say what exactly is going to happen”, he added.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen weighed in with the EU’s support of Denmark and Greenland’s sovereignty.
“For me it’s important that the Greenlanders know – and they know this by the deeds, not only by the words – that we respect the wishes of the Greenlanders and their interests and that they can count on us,” she told journalists at a conference in Brussels on Wednesday.