The United States is increasing the possibility of seizing Greenland by military force as European and Canadian leaders rally to claim the Arctic belongs to their people.
The White House said in a statement Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump believes acquiring Greenland, which is part of Denmark, is a national security priority and necessary to “deter our Arctic adversaries.”
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“The President and his team are discussing various options for pursuing this important foreign policy objective, and of course the use of U.S. forces is always an option at the discretion of the Commander-in-Chief.”
Any attempt by the United States to seize Greenland from longtime ally Denmark would shock the NATO alliance and deepen the rift between President Trump and European leaders.
But the opposition has not deterred President Trump.
His interest in Greenland, first aired in 2019 during his first term, has been reignited following the U.S. attack on Caracas that abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Emboldened by this operation, President Trump increased pressure on both Colombia and Cuba, saying, “America’s supremacy in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.” He also argued that control of Greenland was vital to U.S. national security, claiming that Greenland was “covered with Russian and Chinese ships” and that Denmark lacked the ability to defend it.
Greenland, the world’s largest island but with a population of just 57,000 people, has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.
Its strategic location between Europe and North America makes it an important base for the US ballistic missile defense system, but its mineral wealth is consistent with the US government’s ambitions to reduce dependence on exports to China.
Greenland “belongs to the people”
Tuesday’s White House statement came as the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in issuing a statement reaffirming that Greenland “belongs to the people.”
“Denmark and Greenland, and they alone, decide matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” they said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also expressed support, announcing that Governor-General Mary Simon and Foreign Minister Anita Anand, both of Inuit descent, would visit Greenland early next month.
In separate statements, the Nordic foreign ministers of Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark also emphasized Greenland’s right to decide its own issues. They also pointed to increased investment in Arctic security and offered to do more in consultation with the United States and other NATO allies.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also warned that threats against NATO members undermine the alliance’s credibility. “No member state should attack or threaten other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, otherwise NATO would lose its meaning,” he said.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen welcomed the pledge of solidarity by European leaders and renewed his call for “respectful dialogue” with the United States.
Meanwhile, Denmark rejected Trump’s claim that it cannot protect Greenland.
“We do not share the image that Greenland is full of Chinese investments… nor do we share the image that there are Chinese warships plying along Greenland,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said, adding that he would welcome further US investment on the island.
Greenland’s government said it had requested an emergency meeting with Rasmussen and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the situation.
Also on Tuesday, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, whom President Trump appointed as U.S. special envoy to Greenland last month, also said he had no interest in talking to people in Denmark or European diplomats about Greenland.
Instead, he said he wanted to speak directly to Greenland residents. “I want to talk to people who want opportunities to improve the quality of life in Greenland,” the Republican said on a Fox News radio show.
Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Rubio told U.S. lawmakers at a Congressional briefing on Monday that the latest threats did not imply an imminent invasion of Greenland, and that the goal was to buy Greenland from Denmark.
Rubio said the White House was using rhetoric to pressure Denmark into negotiations, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the talks.
Meanwhile, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller dismissed concerns about Denmark’s sovereignty.
“You can talk all you want about international virtues and all that,” Miller told CNN on Monday. “But we live in a real world, a world ruled by force, ruled by force, ruled by force.”
Asked about the possibility of military force, he said: “No one will fight militarily with the United States over the future of Greenland.”
Members of Congress, including some of Mr. Trump’s Republicans, pushed back.
“Once Denmark and Greenland make clear that Greenland is not for sale, the United States must abide by its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” said Senate NATO Observer Co-Chairs Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senator Thom Tillis.
