Denmark’s prime minister has issued a stern warning to the White House amid growing concerns that Greenland, the vast Arctic territory ruled by Denmark, is still coveted by the Trump administration.
In nationally televised remarks, Mette Frederiksen reminded Danes that “we have already made the position of the Kingdom of Denmark clear, saying that Greenland does not want to become part of the United States.”
But she also warned of the consequences of US military action to occupy Greenland, something US President Donald Trump has explicitly refused to rule out.
“First of all, I think we need to take seriously what the president of the United States has said about wanting Greenland,” Frederiksen said, reflecting growing anxiety about Trump’s intentions in the wake of the extraordinary military action in Venezuela.
“But I also want to be clear that if the United States chooses to militarily attack another NATO member state, everything will cease, including NATO, and therefore the security that has been provided since the end of World War II,” she added.
It is a serious concern, widely shared among NATO allies, that the Greenland issue could not only anger and humiliate its longtime partner, but also cause a rift in the Western military alliance as pressure from Washington intensifies.
On Tuesday, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and Denmark issued a joint statement saying that “Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and is of vital importance for international and transatlantic security.”
“Arctic security must therefore be achieved collectively, in cooperation with NATO allies, including the United States, by upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders,” the statement continued. “These are universal principles and we will never stop defending them.”
President Trump reiterated Sunday that the United States needs Greenland “from a national security perspective.”
“We need Greenland…It’s very strategic right now. Greenland is covered in Russian and Chinese ships everywhere,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “We need Greenland from a national security perspective, but Denmark won’t be able to do it.”
Late Monday, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller reiterated his assertion that “Greenland should be part of the United States,” but denied that military force would be needed to acquire it.
“No one is going to fight militarily with the United States over the future of Greenland,” Miller said on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”
Asked if military intervention was off the table, Miller instead questioned Denmark’s claims to territory in the Arctic.
His comments came after Katie Miller, Miller’s wife and ally of Trump, posted an image of an American flag superimposed on a map of Greenland on X with the caption “Coming soon.”
This is the latest reminder of the Trump administration’s repeatedly stated ambitions, which have made Washington’s traditional European allies nervous, especially Denmark.
CNN visited Greenland in October, where Danish troops staged an unprecedented show of military force officially intended to deter growing military threats from Russia and China.
Russia may be currently bogged down in fighting in Ukraine, but Danish military officials told CNN they fully expect Russia to divert resources and use its combat experience to pose a greater threat in the Arctic region once that brutal conflict finally ends.
China has also strengthened its claims in the Arctic, participating in patrols and exercises with Russian vessels, funding Arctic infrastructure projects and developing plans for a “Polar Silk Road” for Arctic shipping. The country even declares itself a “near-Arctic nation”, even though its northernmost major city, Harbin, is about as far north as Venice, Italy.
However, senior Danish military commanders said in face-to-face talks that neither Russia nor China currently poses a significant military threat to Greenland.
“I don’t think there is a threat to Greenland at this point,” Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen, commander of Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command, told CNN.
Furthermore, Danish military officials argue that it would be relatively easy to defend the world’s largest island, the size of six German countries or two of the largest U.S. states, Alaska and California, combined. The harsh weather, mountainous terrain and lack of infrastructure make the entire east coast of the territory “virtually unconquerable,” according to one Danish military official.
Danish military officials privately told CNN that the land, air and sea operations were designed to show President Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to take over Greenland, in the hopes of convincing him to change his mind by showing how seriously he takes Greenland’s security.
But apparently that strategy didn’t work. And while the Trump administration appears encouraged by what it sees as a stunning success in Venezuela, the future of Greenland and the cohesion of the Western military alliance is once again thrown into uncertainty.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
