Europe Unites Behind Denmark After Trump Revives Greenland Annexation Threat
Several European countries have moved to publicly support Denmark after renewed statements from the United States asserting that Washington must gain control of Greenland. The reaction followed comments from Donald Trump, who said on Sunday that the United States “needed” Greenland for security reasons. Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory that remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark, which is also a fellow member of Nato. Trump declined to rule out the use of force to take control of the island, prompting concern among European allies and sharp responses from Danish leaders.
In a joint statement released on Tuesday, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark reaffirmed their position that Greenland’s future can only be decided by those directly involved. “Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations,” the statement said. The declaration stressed that while Arctic security is a shared concern, it must be handled collectively by Nato allies and in accordance with international law, including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders under the UN Charter.
The comments from Trump have heightened tensions within Nato, an alliance built on the principle that members come to each other’s defence in the event of an external attack. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that any attack by the United States on Greenland would effectively bring Nato to an end. Her remarks underscored the seriousness with which Denmark views the statements, particularly given that both countries are long-standing allies within the trans-Atlantic military bloc.
The renewed focus on Greenland emerged in the aftermath of a US military intervention in Venezuela, where elite American troops entered the country, seized President Nicolás Maduro, and transported him to New York to face drugs and weapons charges. Following the operation, Trump said the United States would “run” Venezuela for an unspecified period. He also stated that Washington was returning to an 1823 policy asserting US supremacy in the Western Hemisphere and warned that other countries could face similar attention. These developments have reignited fears in Europe that the United States might consider using force to secure control of Greenland.
Those concerns intensified a day after the Venezuela raid when Katie Miller, the wife of one of Trump’s senior aides, shared an image on social media showing Greenland coloured like the American flag, accompanied by the word “SOON.” On Monday, her husband, Stephen Miller, said it was “the formal position of the US government that Greenland should be part of the US.” Speaking to CNN, he argued that the United States is “the power of Nato” and that for Washington to secure the Arctic region and protect Nato interests, “obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”
