President Donald Trump has said the United States requires control of Greenland for “national security” reasons, saying the territory is critical to the “Golden Dome” defense system his administration is developing. He said NATO should take the lead in supporting US efforts to secure Greenland, warning that Russia or China could intervene if Washington did not, an outcome he said would be “unacceptable”.
“The US needs Greenland for national security purposes. It’s vital to the Golden Dome we’re building. NATO should lead the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump also argued that NATO’s military effectiveness depends heavily on US power, much of which he said was built up during his first term and is now being further strengthened. He mentioned that without the US, the alliance would lack real deterrent capabilities. According to Trump, NATO would be greatly strengthened and more effective if Greenland were under US control, and he insisted that any alternative arrangement would fail.
Meanwhile, the leaders of Denmark and Greenland on Tuesday presented a united stance against Trump’s repeated calls for the US to take control of the strategically important Arctic island, ahead of key discussions on the issue in Washington.
In their strongest rebuttal yet, the Prime Ministers of Denmark and Greenland emphasized that Greenland is part of the Danish Empire and therefore falls within the scope of NATO’s collective defence. They warned that any US effort to occupy the territory or force it to secede would seriously damage the transatlantic alliance, a cornerstone of global security since the end of World War II.
Trump dismissed the warnings, telling reporters in Washington, “That’s their problem.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen emphasized their close coordination as their foreign ministers — Denmark’s Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Vivian Motzfeldt — prepared for meetings at the White House on Wednesday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“We chose Denmark”
According to an AP report, Frederiksen told a joint press conference in Copenhagen: “Dear Greenlanders, you should know that we stand together today, we will do so tomorrow and we will continue to do so.”
“If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU,” said Nielsen from Greenland.
Tensions escalated this month as Trump stepped up his calls for the United States to take control of the island. He has said repeatedly that he is considering several options to take Greenland, including the possible use of military force.
When reporters asked Trump about comments from Nielsen suggesting Greenland wanted to remain part of Denmark, he dismissed the remarks, saying, “I don’t agree with him. I don’t know who he is. I don’t know anything about him. But that’s going to be a big problem for him.”
