Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a strong warning on Monday, stating that if the United States were to take control of Greenland, it could spell the end of the NATO military alliance. This warning follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed interest in acquiring the strategically valuable and resource-rich Arctic island after a recent military operation in Venezuela.
The surprise nighttime raid by U.S. forces in Caracas aimed at capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife on Saturday has left the international community shocked. The operation has raised alarms in Denmark and Greenland, the latter being a semi-autonomous region under Danish jurisdiction and a member of NATO.
Both Frederiksen and Jens Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s leader, condemned Trump’s remarks, cautioning that such actions could lead to dire consequences. Various European leaders have come forward to stand in support of Denmark and Greenland.
Frederiksen, speaking to Danish broadcaster TV2, emphasized, “If the United States opts to attack another NATO member, everything comes to a halt, including the security provided by NATO since World War II.”
20-day timeline deepens fears
Throughout his presidency, Trump has consistently expressed interest in bringing Greenland under U.S. control, not dismissing the possibility of using military means. His recent comments, including a statement to reporters suggesting future discussions about Greenland, have intensified concerns about a potential U.S. intervention in the near term.
Frederiksen stressed the gravity of Trump’s intentions, asserting that his interest in Greenland should not be underestimated. “We will not stand by and allow ourselves and Greenland to be threatened in this manner,” she stated.
Nielsen, in a news conference Monday, said Greenland cannot be compared to Venezuela. He urged his constituents to stay calm and united.
“We are not in a situation where we think that there might be a takeover of the country overnight and that is why we are insisting that we want good cooperation,” he said.
Nielsen added: “The situation is not such that the United States can simply conquer Greenland.”
Ask Rostrup, a TV2 political journalist, wrote on the station’s live blog Monday that Mette previously would have flatly rejected the idea of an American takeover of Greenland. But now, Rostrup wrote, the rhetoric has escalated so much that she has to acknowledge the possibility.
Trump slams Denmark’s security efforts in Greenland
Trump on Sunday also mocked Denmark’s efforts at boosting Greenland’s national security posture, saying the Danes have added “one more dog sled” to the Arctic territory’s arsenal.
“It’s so strategic right now,” Trump had told reporters Sunday as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. “Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”
He added: “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”
But Ulrik Pram Gad, a global security expert from the Danish Institute for International Studies, wrote in a report last year that “there are indeed Russian and Chinese ships in the Arctic, but these vessels are too far away to see from Greenland with or without binoculars.”
U.S. space base in northwestern Greenland
Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled this weekend by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: “SOON.”
“And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Ambassador Jesper Mller Srensen, Denmark’s chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trump’s influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
The U.S. Department of Defense operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland. It was built following a 1951 defense agreement between Denmark and the United States. It supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.
On Denmark’s mainland, the partnership between the U.S. and Denmark has been long-lasting. The Danes buy American F-35 fighter jets and just last year, Denmark’s parliament approved a bill to allow U.S. military bases on Danish soil.
Critics say the vote ceded Danish sovereignty to the U.S. The legislation widens a previous military agreement, made in 2023 with the Biden administration, where U.S. troops had broad access to Danish air bases in the Scandinavian country.
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