Denmark has warned that any United States military action against Greenland would spell the end of NATO, after US President Donald Trump again said Washington “needs” the Arctic territory following the US military operation in Venezuela.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said the United States required Greenland “from the standpoint of national security”, arguing that Denmark was unable to defend the territory adequately. The remarks followed the US operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, an intervention that has unsettled European governments and raised concerns about broader US actions.
Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen responsible for its defence and foreign policy. It occupies a strategic position between North America and Europe and is rich in critical minerals, making it increasingly significant as Arctic ice melts and shipping routes expand.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the United States had no right to annex Greenland and warned that an attack on a NATO member would have sweeping consequences.
“If the United States decides to militarily attack another NATO country, then everything would stop – that includes NATO and therefore post-second world war security,” Frederiksen told Danish broadcasters. She described US pressure over Greenland as “unacceptable” and said Denmark would do everything possible to defend international law and territorial integrity.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen condemned Trump’s remarks as “very rude and disrespectful” and rejected what he described as US “fantasies about annexation”.
“Threats, pressure and talk of annexation have no place between friends,” Nielsen said, adding that Greenland was open to dialogue only through appropriate diplomatic channels and in line with international law. “Greenland is our home and our territory. And that is how it will remain.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in bringing Greenland under US control and has previously refused to rule out the use of military or economic force. Last month, he appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, a move criticised by both Denmark and Greenland. Landry has publicly supported Trump’s push for US control of the island.
Tensions escalated further after Katie Miller, the wife of senior White House aide Stephen Miller, posted an image of Greenland overlaid with an American flag on social media, accompanied by the word “SOON”. Danish and Greenlandic officials described the post as disrespectful.
Political risk consultancy Eurasia Group said Denmark was now in “full crisis mode” over the renewed threats. Its Europe director Mujtaba Rahman said the possibility of US intervention in Greenland posed a greater risk to NATO and EU cohesion than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The European Union backed Denmark, with officials reaffirming that the bloc would defend national sovereignty and the inviolability of borders. Nordic neighbours Sweden, Norway and Finland also expressed support for Copenhagen.
While Greenland has the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement with Denmark, opinion polls show strong opposition among Greenlanders to becoming part of the United States. All five parties in Greenland’s parliament have said the territory is not for sale.
The renewed focus on Greenland comes amid rising geopolitical competition in the Arctic, where the United States, China and Russia are seeking greater influence as access to resources and shipping lanes expands.
