- European leaders express concerns over potential U.S. military actions on Greenland.
- Denmark's leader warned that U.S. action could jeopardize NATO alliance.
- Italian premier believes U.S. will not pursue military action against Greenland.
As the Trump administration has continued talking about possibly acquiring Greenland, without ruling out military force, European leaders have raised their concerns.
On Tuesday, the White House said President Donald Trump is exploring and discussing options for acquiring Greenland, a territory of Denmark. As previously reported by the Deseret News, Greenland has made it clear it does not want to be acquired by the U.S. A number of European allies have rallied support behind Denmark.
Denmark’s leader went as far as to say that any U.S. military action against Greenland could endanger the NATO alliance.
In a statement, the White House shared that acquiring Greenland is an “important foreign policy goal” and said that “of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”
The president has said repeatedly that the U.S. needs to annex Greenland for its strategic location and mineral wealth.
After the conversation around a Greenland acquisition was renewed, Denmark and Greenland’s leadership asked to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the Trump administration’s plans. A meeting between Danish and U.S. officials will take place next week, per The Washington Post.
How Denmark and Greenland have responded to Trump’s renewed push to take over Greenland
On Jan. 4, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that any U.S. action on Greenland would end the NATO alliance. Greenland has been a territory of Denmark for over 300 years, according to The Washington Post.
Both Denmark and the U.S. are members of NATO, meaning they are covered by the alliance’s security guarantee. The two countries also have a separate defense agreement that gives the Pentagon access to Greenland.
Frederiksen also urged the Trump administration to “stop the threats” about taking over the Arctic territory.
She added that it “makes absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland. The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom,” according to USA Today.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also spoke on the issue: “When the President of the United States says that ‘we need Greenland’ and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it’s not just wrong. It’s disrespectful.”
Both Nielsen and Frederiksen have made it clear that Greenland is not for sale, according to The Washington Post.
On Wednesday, Trump posted on Truth Social in response to Frederiksen’s suggestion that he is endangering NATO.
He emphasized that he had previously pressured NATO allies to raise spending. “Everyone said that couldn’t be done, but it could, because, beyond all else, they are all my friends.”
“Russia and China have zero fear of NATO without the United States, and I doubt NATO would be there for us if we really needed them,” Trump wrote, using all capital letters. “Everyone is lucky that I rebuilt our military in my first term, and continue to do so. We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us.”
European leaders release joint statement backing Greenland
On Tuesday, the leaders of seven European countries released a joint statement about the potential U.S. annexation of Greenland. It emphasized that Arctic security is a top priority for Europe as it is necessary for international and trans-Atlantic security.
“NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up,” the statement said. “We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries. The Kingdom of Denmark — including Greenland — is part of NATO.”
The statement was signed by Frederiksen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The leaders of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Greece also backed the statement.
The leaders emphasized that Arctic security has to be achieved collaboratively with NATO allies while upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter. They also emphasized that the U.S. is a NATO ally that must also work to uphold Arctic security.
“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland and them only to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the statement concluded.
Italy’s premier doesn’t believe the U.S. will resort to military force
Because Trump won’t take military force off the table, foreign leaders have been concerned about the possibility of the U.S. using its military to acquire Greenland. But during a New Year press conference, Italy’s Meloni said she didn’t believe the U.S. would resort to military actions, per The Associated Press.
She added that such military action would have serious consequences for NATO and would not be in anyone’s interest.
“I still don’t believe in the possibility of the U.S. initiating military action to take control of Greenland,” Meloni said, emphasizing that Italy would not support such actions.
“I think the Trump administration, with its somewhat assertive methods, is primarily focusing attention on the strategic importance of Greenland and the Arctic region for its security,” Meloni added, according to The Associated Press. “It’s an area where many foreign actors operate, and I continue to believe the message from the U.S. is that it will not accept actions by foreign powers.”