Greenland crisis

During the first Trump administration, US president Donald Trump said that the US should buy Greenland. The governments of Denmark and Greenland clarified that Greenland is not for sale and cannot be sold under the Danish constitution, and the Danish government has always rejected such proposals, which Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called "an absurd discussion". In December 2024, president-elect Trump, before the onset of his second administration, reiterated his interest in the US assuming control of Greenland, stating that "for purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity." History of Greenland . , King Frederik X, and the Greenland prime minister Múte Bourup Egede visit Pituffik Space Base and are greeted on the runway by US base commander Jason Terry, with Greenlandic, Danish, and US flags in the background, 29 June 2024. The King and the Prime Minister made a stop at the base when travelling to Qaanaaq in the north of Greenland and are wearing traditional Greenlandic blue anoraks. Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and has been associated with the Scandinavian kingdoms of Denmark and Norway for more than a millennium, beginning in 986 AD when Norse settlers from what is now Norway and Iceland settled Greenland. The 13th century saw the arrival of the Inuit, the ancestors of today's majority population. After around 400 years, the Norse settlement in Greenland is believed to have died out in the late 15th century, but the legends of it persisted in Scandinavia. Today's population is mainly Inuit, with a smaller Danish population, and many people are of mixed Inuit and Danish origin. Greenlanders often have close family, personal and cultural ties to Denmark, with thousands living there. Greenland formally became part of the Kingdom of Norway in 1261, when the Norse inhabitants submitted to the King of Norway. Norway then entered a union with Denmark in 1380. Under the 1814 Treaty of Kiel, Greenland remained with the Danish Crown as part of the settlement with Sweden following the Napoleonic Wars. Denmark declared full sovereignty over all of Greenland, including the uninhabited parts, in 1921, in the aftermath of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1933, Norway, which occupied part of Eastern Greenland, accepted a ruling of the Permanent Court of International Justice affirming Danish sovereignty over all of Greenland and renounced its claim. The 1953 Constitution of Denmark ended Greenland's status as a colony, integrating it fully into the Danish state as a regular county, as part of decolonization efforts and with the consent of the Greenland Provincial Council. Military presence in Greenland frigate off the coast of Greenland Denmark is one of the twelve original founding member states of NATO, and signed the Greenland Defense Agreement with the US in 1951, allowing the US military to operate in Greenland with Danish consent under a NATO framework. At its peak, approximately 10,000 US military personnel were stationed in Greenland, including about 6,000 at what is now Pituffik Space Base. After the Cold War, Greenland became a lower strategic priority for the US, which gradually reduced its presence to roughly 150 personnel by 2026. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, Denmark supplied military aid to the US as part of its NATO Article 5 obligation, incurring 44 deaths in the Afghan War. Denmark increased its Arctic defence and led a large NATO exercise in Greenland in 2025. The exercise involved more than 550 soldiers, including special forces, from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, and Germany. The Nordic countries also collaborate on Arctic defence through NATO exercises conducted across the region, such as the Joint Viking exercise in 2025. In 2025, Denmark announced a plan to boost Arctic defence. Greenland is under the military command of the Joint Arctic Commander, Danish general Søren Andersen. The Arctic Command has around 150 permanent personnel, but regularly deploys units from across the Danish Defence forces, including the Arctic Response Force with aircraft and ships that stand ready to support forces in Greenland. Law enforcement in Greenland employs around 350 people. As of 2026, hundreds of elite Danish combat soldiers trained in arctic warfare have been deployed to Greenland, including the Chief of the Royal Danish Army, General Peter Harling Boysen, with Denmark stating its intention to send a "substantial contribution" of its armed forces there in response to the Greenland crisis. History of US recognition of Danish sovereignty over Greenland In the 1826 General Convention of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation with the king of Denmark, the US recognised Greenland as a northern possession of the king, and accepted the trade restrictions that Denmark imposed there. In the Treaty of the Danish West Indies, signed in 1916, the US government explicitly recognised Danish sovereignty over all of Greenland. In the 2004 amendment to the Greenland Defense Agreement, the US recognised Greenland as "an equal part of the Kingdom of Denmark under the Constitution [with] a wide ranging Greenland Home Rule." == US actions against Greenland and Denmark ==

and his wife Usha Vance at Pituffik Space Base, March 2025 From his reelection in 2024 until his public reversal in January 2026, Danish national broadcaster DR divided Trump's plans to take over Greenland into three main phases, starting from December 2024: a charm offensive, pressure on the Danish government, and Greenlandic societal infiltration. On 11 January, Donald Trump Jr. went on a private visit to Greenland. Local media reported that his entourage passed out MAGA hats to locals and attempted to speak to residents on a speakerphone. Berlingske reported that an American military person asked the Joint Arctic Command to provide information about Greenlandic infrastructure. In the following months, Republican congressman Buddy Carter introduced a bill in the US Congress to advance efforts to annex Greenland and rename it Red, White, and Blueland and US Vice President JD Vance visited, without invitation, the Pituffik Space Base, where he gave a speech about how Denmark had failed Greenlanders. In connection with the visit, commander Susannah Meyers, the highest-ranking US officer in Greenland, said the Trump administration's threats against the Kingdom of Denmark "are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base". In response, Meyers was fired by Trump. American defense secretary Pete Hegseth all but acknowledged that The Pentagon had plans to invade Greenland, by refusing to rule out the option and by saying the Pentagon plans for all contingencies, although the Pentagon later clarified that it had not been asked to draw up such plans. US influencers handed out dollar bills in the streets of Nuuk. This led to at least three American men with connections to Trump to be monitored by the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) for attempting to infiltrate Greenland, with the purpose of creating discord with Denmark by exploiting existing or fabricated disagreements. The role was described as informal and one-sided. Landry said he would work to make Greenland part of the US and intended to attend, uninvited, a traditional dog sled race. Denmark summoned the American ambassador, Ken Howery and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called Landry's statements "completely unacceptable", adding, "we insist that everyoneincluding the USmust show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark". 2026 was described as being a driving force behind Trump's threats to invade Greenland. Right after the 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela on 3 January, which led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores and their subsequent extraction from the country, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller stated that the US has the right to take Greenland. His wife Katie Miller published a map of Greenland covered in the US flag with the word "SOON", which drew widespread condemnation. The Trump administration threatened military action to take control of Greenland as an option, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the goal is to buy the island from Denmark. Trump did not request any military plans for invading Greenland. A few days later, Trump claimed that "I don't need international law" and that it "may be a choice" for the US between seizing Greenland or preserving NATO. Trump said existing treaty rights are insufficient, arguing that full ownership is "psychologically needed for success" The president also said that he would take Greenland "the hard way" if Denmark does not give up its territory, claiming that "the fact that [Denmark] had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn't mean they own the land". Republican congressman Randy Fine proposed that the US annexes Greenland, in what he called The Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act. In response, the Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated that Greenland had no wish to become part of the US. Trump proceeded to threaten him and denied he knew Nielsen. Trump officials again threatened that the US president could take action against Greenland within weeks. In mid-January, Trump posted on his website Truth Social "NATO: Tell Denmark to get them out of here, NOW!" and reiterated false claims that the Danish Defence forces protecting Greenland consists of "two dogsleds". He said he would impose tariffs on countries that participated in Operation Arctic Endurance; a 10% import tariff would be imposed on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland starting 1February 2026, and it would increase to a 25% tariff on 1June unless Denmark agreed to sell Greenland to the US. Støre said that "I have several times clearly explained to Trump what is well known, namely that it is an independent Nobel Committee, and not the Norwegian government, that awards the prize." On 19 January, Trump again refused to rule out invading Greenland and reiterated his tariff threats. On 20January, Trump reiterated threats, stating that there is "no going back" on his plan to annex Greenland, claiming "Greenland is imperative for national and world security". Trump also indicated that what he called the UK's "stupidity" in transferring the Chagos Islands to Mauritius justified his demands on Greenland. Trump posted an image of a map showing Canada and Greenland as part of the US and an AI image of him along with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio planting a US flag on Greenlandic soil. On 21 January, Trump had asked the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to present potential options and the impacts of using military force to seize Greenland, ultimately resulting in Trump deciding against an invasion, Trump administration officials told NBC News. Trump's reversals At the World Economic Forum in Davos on 21 January 2026, Trump gave a speech containing numerous false claims about Greenland, Denmark and NATO. He falsely claimed that Greenland is a US territory, despite it being associated with the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway for over a millennium, which was inherited by the Danish Unitary State, and later by modern-day Danish Realm. He stated he would not use military force in his attempt to annex Greenland, while not ruling out economic coercion, insisting on "immediate negotiations" despite Denmark telling him Greenland is not for sale. He appeared to issue a veiled warning to European leaders, stating that they could consent to Washington's annexation of Greenland and earn America's gratitude, or refuse and face the assurance that the US would "remember." During his speech, Trump also appeared to repeatedly confuse Iceland with Greenland. Shortly after, Trump abruptly announced that he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had "formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland" and withdrew his threats of punitive tariffs against NATO members. Rutte said his discussion with Trump did not cover control of Greenland, instead focusing on broader Arctic security. Danish and NATO officials denied that any deal had been formed that would compromise the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland. Both Danish and Greenland officials said sovereignty is not negotiable. Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede had previously said the country would be open to strengthening its defence and mining ties with the United States and was ready to start a dialogue with the United States. EU lawmakers said they would need greater clarity about Trump's intentions, with Bernd Lange stating that "nobody knows exactly what the details of this so-called solution or deal are." Aaja Chemnitz, one of Greenland's two members of the Danish parliament, said Trump's statements were "completely crazy" and denied the existence of any "deal," stating that "NATO has no mandate whatsoever" to negotiate anything on behalf of Greenland. She said that "total confusion" was being created by Trump's statements. Chemnitz' statement was echoed by another MP who said the claim of a "deal" is "not real" and described the meeting as "not real negotiations, it's two men who have had a conversation." According to Sky News, the supposed deal referred to a meeting where "pre-existing commitments in the 1951 US–Denmark treaty were reemphasised and European nations re-committed to increase their own defence of Greenland", while highlighting the "serious damage to the trans-Atlantic alliance" inflicted by Trump. A NATO spokesperson said "discussions among NATO allies on the framework [Trump] referenced will focus on ensuring Arctic security through the collective efforts of allies, especially the seven Arctic allies." Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen emphasised that "nobody else than Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark have the mandate to make deals or agreements about Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark." Trump's comments in Davos were described as a great climbdown. Reuters reported that his reversal of policy followed pressure by his own aides opposing an invasion of Greenland. Former US NATO ambassador R. Nicholas Burns said Trump had clearly backed down in the face of tough military, economic and political resistance from the Europeans that the Trump administration had not calculated. Trump's behavior during 2025 and 2026 was described as having damaged the US standing in the world and how allies see the US in the long term, while resulting in no other outcome than maintaining Greenland's status quo. and described the affair as "one of the most erratic episodes involving a modern president on the world stage". Trump's reversal was widely referred to as a TACO moment. The New York Times argued that it showed the "limits of his coercive powers." Partial re-escalation In February, Frederiksen warned that Trump was still "very serious" about acquiring Greenland. On February 21, Trump announced that he was sending a "hospital boat" to Greenland, claiming that many Greenlanders were sick and not receiving care. Earlier in the day, the Danish military had announced the evacuation of a crewmember from a US submarine for a medical emergency. It is unknown if Trump was getting confused with that incident, or was referring to something else. Trump's announcement drew widespread ridicule, with Prime Minister Nielsen saying "It's a no thank you from here" and many noting Greenland (and the Danish Realm) has nationalised healthcare, unlike the US. On 8 April, during the 2026 Iran war, Trump posted on Truth Social about NATO allies "not being there" to join the war effort when the US "needed" them, referencing Greenland and referring to it as "that big, poorly run, piece of ice". == Response ==

Danish legal framework Rasmus Jarlov, said that Denmark would defend its territory and invoke Article 5 of NATO if attacked by the US. The Danish government confirmed in January 2026 that the order remains in place and that Danish soldiers would shoot back if Greenland is attacked. The Ministry of Defence said Danish troops would immediately respond to an invasion of Greenland with force and the chairman of the Defence Committee, Rasmus Jarlov, said Denmark would invoke Article 5 if attacked by the US. Jarlov said a US attack would mean war with Denmark and that retaliation would include deadly force. , Article 5 has been invoked only once in NATO history: in response to the September 11 attacks on the US in 2001, when Denmark volunteered "to fight alongside American soldiers in two different conflicts... [deploying] tens of thousands of troops to Afghanistan and Iraq over two decades... [suffering] the third-highest per capita casualty rate". Military and intelligence response Kingdom of Denmark , the Chief of the Royal Danish Army, arrived in Greenland with a "substantial" force on 19–20 January 2026, saying he is ready to defend Greenland. General Boysen has extensive experience from international warzones and special operations. , widely considered a tripwire force to deter a US invasion Shortly after the start of the crisis, the Kingdom of Denmark began rapidly expanding its military capabilities in the Arctic. On 27 January 2025, its governments agreed to the First Agreement on the Arctic and North Atlantic, which invested a total of () into warning systems in the Faroe Islands and Greenland, new naval vessels, drone warfare training, a new radiation monitoring station in East Greenland, upgrades to the Joint Arctic Command in Nuuk and intelligence, satellite surveillance, 2 new coastal radars, and Arctic basic military training in Kangerlussuaq. This was followed by the Second Agreement on 10 October 2025, providing upgrades worth () for improvements of what was presented in the First Agreement, alongside upgrades to Kangerlussuaq Airport, a new specialised Arctic unit under the Jaeger Corps of the Special Operations Command that could operate anywhere in Greenland, establishment of radar capability in East Greenland, establishment of a Greenlandic reconnaissance Unit, and the construction of a new undersea cable connecting Greenland to mainland Denmark. In the summer of 2025, the Greenlandic government and the Danish Defence both announced that Greenland would have increased military presence by September, as part of Operation Arctic Light. On 18 August 2025, the Ministry of Justice allocated a package worth more than to their operations in Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Alongside promotions of general law enforcement and upgrades to courts, the package also provided funding for strengthening the PET's activities in the North Atlantic, and provided new maritime equipment to Greenlandic and Faroese police in response to the crisis. and at that point Denmark had sent 200 additional soldiers to Greenland. On the same day, more soldiers together with the Chief of the Royal Danish Army, General Peter Harling Boysen, started arriving in Greenland, and Denmark announced that a "substantial contribution" of its armed forces would be sent there. Also on 19 January, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Greenlandic Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Motzfeldt met NATO Secretary General Rutte and their Nordic Security ministers in Brussels about the situation in Greenland. The same day, Greenland's government mulled the creation of a task force with representatives from local authorities to prepare residents for potential disruptions to daily life, including guidance recommending that households keep five days of food supplies. Additionally, PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated that a military conflict could not be ruled out. The Joint Arctic Command announced plans to expand its military exercises, potentially conducting them on a year-round basis. An investigation by Times Radio suggested that it would be very hard for the US to successfully invade Greenland due to a combination of lack of US Arctic capabilities, the geography of Greenland, and Danish knowledge of the area, preparedness and Arctic training. International collaboration countries began deploying troops to Greenland as part of Operation Arctic Endurance in response to the crisis. Status : On 14 January 2026, Denmark started to send military reinforcements to Greenland to strengthen its military presence. Later that day, it became known that both Sweden and Norway sent military forces to support the Danish Defence in protecting Greenland. The Ministry of Defence on 14 January 2026 announced "an increased military presence in and around Greenland, comprising aircraft, vessels and soldiers, including from NATO allies". After consultations between a group of European countries, Germany announced it was sending a small contingent to Greenland on a reconnaissance mission with other European nations. On 15 January 2026, a French military contingent arrived in Greenland. On 17 January, Major General Søren Andersen stated that at least 100 units have arrived in Nuuk, and another 100 in Kangerlussuaq. By 18 January, the deployment involved Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Slovenia, and Iceland, with Estonia's deployment yet to be executed. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the deployment would soon be reinforced with land, air, and sea assets as part of Operation Arctic Endurance. Denmark is planning a larger and more permanent NATO presence. On 18 January, Germany's reconnaissance team returned to Germany, with the Bundeswehr stating that the mission to plan for future engagements had been "completed, as planned". On 19 January it became known that Canada considered sending troops to Greenland to reinforce Danish sovereignty. Despite Poland's recent interest and participation in military exercises in the Arctic region, and having signed a bilateral defence agreement with Denmark in the 1990s, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Poland would not deploy troops in Greenland. Between 19 January and 3 February, NORAD deployed their aircraft to Pituffik Space Base in Greenland for long-planned activities, describing the deployment as routine and coordinated with the Kingdom of Denmark with diplomatic clearances and with the Government of Greenland informed of the planned operations. On 21 January, France proposed a larger NATO exercise in Greenland and said they are willing to participate. with Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich stating that it "underscores the alliance's commitment to safeguard its members and maintain stability." While the operation is not intended to be permanent, Canadian Foreign Affairs minister Anita Anand urges it to be otherwise, commenting that "defending the Arctic is defending NATO's northern flank and North America itself". Despite being officially intended to counter Sino–Russian threats in the Arctic, Operation Arctic Sentry has often been interpreted that it's largely meant to "appease Trump" regarding Greenland instead. Invasion preparedness The Greenlandic government has asked citizens to prepare for a possible attack on Greenland by the US, including by stockpiling supplies. According to a report by Danish broadcaster DR, published in March 2026, Danish forces also prepared defensive measures in early 2026, including the deployment of special forces units and the pre-positioning of medical supplies such as blood for potential casualties. Troops reportedly brought explosives intended to disable key airstrips in Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq to prevent US landings. "Hands off Greenland" anti-Trump protests Large anti-Trump protests, named "Hands off Greenland", took place across Greenland and Denmark on 17 January to protest against Trump's threats against Greenland. The solidarity protests are organised by Greenlandic associations in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense and Nuuk. Uagut, an association of Greenlanders in Denmark, said the aim of the protests is to send a message of respect for Greenland's democracy and fundamental human rights. In Copenhagen, thousands of Greenlanders and Danes filled City Hall Square. The slogan "Make America Go Away" soared in popularity in response to the protests, becoming a symbol of anti-Trump defiance. == US–EU trade war ==

In response to Operation Arctic Endurance and European countries' refusal to support his annexation of Greenland, Trump threatened to increase tariffs reigniting concerns of a US-EU trade war. Trump said he would impose tariffs on any trading partner that did not support the idea of a US invasion and military occupation of Greenland. In January 2026, he threatened Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland with tariffs of up to 25% tariffs until they supported his takeover of Greenland, stating that they had "journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown. This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet". On 21 January, Trump announced that he would not impose the tariffs, having agreed to a deal with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte. European response In response to Trump's threats, EU leaders promised a firm, EU-wide joint response. European Council President António Costa said the EU will be "very firm in defending international law... starting within the territory of the European Union's member states". European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised an "unflinching, united and proportional" response. Kaja Kallas, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said China and Russia "must be having a field day" as a result of Trump's tariffs. French President Macron described Trump's threats as unacceptable and said that "no intimidation nor threat will influence us, neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland". Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre condemned Trump's threats and wrote that "Norway's position is firm: Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Norway fully supports the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark." Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Europe would not be blackmailed by Trump. A joint statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom emphasised the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity and accused Trump of creating a "dangerous downward spiral" with his threats. On 18 January, EU ambassadors from all 27 member states held an emergency meeting on Trump's threats. After Trump reversed his decision on implementing tariffs, EU officials were skeptical, but announced on 22 January that approval of the trade agreement would resume. Anti-Coercion Instrument Several European leaders including France's Emmanuel Macron advocated using the EU's Anti-Coercion Instrument, a security and trade policy tool known as the "trade bazooka", to target the US in retaliation. Under the not-previously-used instrument, the EU may adopt countermeasures, sometimes described as sanctions, including tariffs, restrictions on public procurement, and measures affecting trade and investment. Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament Committee on International Trade, supported its activation. By 21 January EU countries were described as being increasingly open to using the ACI against the US, with Germany stating it will ask the Commission to explore its use. US opposition Senior Republicans as well as Democrats described Trump's tariff threats as bad for the US, bad for business, and a strategic gift to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. On the other hand, Trump said that Greenland was a US national security priority because he did not want Russia or China as neighbours, although Russia is already a neighbour of the US; at their closest points, the US island of Little Diomede and the Russian island of Big Diomede in the Bering Strait are only away from each other. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer announced that Democrats would introduce legislation to block any tariffs "before they do further damage to the American economy and our allies in Europe". Russian reaction Russia welcomed Trump's tariffs against his NATO allies, with Kremlin officials saying it was evidence that the transatlantic alliance was collapsing. The Russian government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta praised Trump's push to take over Greenland and welcomed the strain it was causing between the US and Europe. == Reactions ==

Kingdom of Denmark , Aksel V. Johannesen, and Jens-Frederik Nielsen in Finland, May 2025|298x298px On 16 and 17 June 2025, the governments of Greenland, Denmark, and the Faroe Islands participated in their biannual meeting in Tórshavn in light of the crisis. While Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen didn't want to elaborate on her negotiations with Greenland and the Faroe Islands at the time, she called for unity among all three governments of the Kingdom of Denmark, with Faroese PM Aksel V. Johannesen calling for more foreign policy autonomy for the Faroe Islands. In response to US threats against Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reminded Trump that an attack on the Kingdom of Denmark is an attack on NATO and that all members are obligated to come to Denmark's defence, urging the US to cease its threats, which threaten the existence of NATO and the security framework established since the end of World War II. The official Danish threat assessment published by the Danish Defence Intelligence Service in 2025 for the first time mentioned the US as a threat to national security, alongside Russia and China. In response to American influence operations, both Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and King Frederik X visited the Danish territory. Former Danish foreign minister Per Stig Møller said Trump's behavior has destroyed the US relationship with Denmark and compared it to German demands on Polish territory in the 1930s. Rasmus Jarlov stated in an interview that a US military invasion of Greenland would constitute a war, with Denmark and the US fighting each other. Former Danish prime minister and NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the US actions are widely seen as a betrayal in Denmark. Rasmussen emphasised that Greenland is not for sale, that Greenlanders don't want to become part of the US and that the only way for the US to take it would be to invade the Kingdom of Denmark and destroy NATO. He said Denmark has no other choice than to defend its territory, and that non-resistance is not an option. He further said that Trump is "the biggest threat to world peace." He said Trump speaks like a gangster in his threats against Greenland. He also suggested the establishment of a "European NATO" without the US. Greenland said that Trump would not "get" Greenland. In response to US threats, Greenland's prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Trump would not "get" Greenland and that it is not for sale. The US threats have caused a pause in independence discussions, which Nielsen promoted during the previous elections. A joint statement published by all parties in the Parliament of Greenland demanded that the US show respect and that they do not want to become part of the US, that they "do not want to be Americans." Greenland has moved to ban foreign political funding in response to US interference. 2025 and 2026 saw large demonstrations against the US in Greenland, with Greenlanders emphasising that "we are not for sale". Demonstrators carried placards bearing the slogans "no means no", "stop threatening us", and "Yankee go home!" The government welcomed the initiative by six NATO members (reported to be the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and Spain) to increase NATO activity in Greenland. in response to Trump's threats to invade or annex the country, 13 January 2026 In a joint statement on 13 January 2026, the prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark said that Greenland was facing an "unacceptable pressure" campaign and a "geopolitical crisis" caused by the US. They said that Greenland is not under any circumstances for sale. Frederiksen said "our message is clear: Greenland is not for sale" and "you can't buy another people". Nielsen emphasised that talk about buying another people shows a lack of respect, and that Greenland does not want to be owned nor governed by the US. Greenlandic politicians have welcomed a NATO mission in Greenland to protect the island following Trump's threats. Faroe Islands On 21 November 2025, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen visited the Faroe Islands, where both parties discussed Faroese participation regarding the situation in Greenland. Faroese Speaker of the Løgting Bjørt Samuelsen sent an official letter of support to their Greenlandic counterpart, Kim Kielsen. Denmark and NATO did not deploy troops to the Faroe Islands as part of Operation Arctic Endurance. United States Support urged Europeans to allow the United States to take control of Greenland and dismissed European discomforts over Trump's annexation threats. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent stated that both NATO and Greenland were essential to United States national security. Interior secretary Doug Burgum argued that Europeans should be "cheering" for the United States to acquire Greenland from Denmark because of it being critical to American and European security. On January, senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, urged Europeans to allow the United States to control Greenland and criticised them as being "weak and humorless" on social media. The following month at the 62nd Munich Security Conference, he was asked at a Politico interview what he would say to Europeans who were nervous about Greenland. Graham responded, "Greenland is behind us, but the goal is to get outcomes. Who gives a shit who owns Greenland? I don't." Afterward according to sources reporting to Puck and Berlingske, he met with the Greenlandic and Danish prime ministers, swearing at them often and disrespecting them by yawning loudly and calling the latter "little lady." Opposition said Americans were ashamed of Trump's threats against Greenland. Former CIA Director John O. Brennan called it "outrageous that we are threatening Denmark" and that there is a "sense of shame" among Americans over Trump's international behavior. Republican senator Roger Wicker, the Senate Armed Services chair, said Trump's threats to seize Greenland was "a topic that should be dropped" After meeting Danish officials, Wicker said it was clear that there was no room for negotiation and that Trump's attempt to obtain Greenland was not realistic. speaking during a press conference with Danish, Greenlandic and US politicians at Christiansborg in Copenhagen, 16 January 2026 Mitch McConnell, who led Trump's Republican Party in the Senate from 2007 to 2025, characterised attempts to seize Greenland as "trampling the sovereignty, respect, and trust of our allies" and that "the use of force... would be an especially catastrophic act of strategic self-harm to America and its global influence". In mid-January, a delegation of US congresspeople from both major political parties, including senators Chris Coons, Lisa Murkowski, Jeanne Shaheen, and Thom Tillis, travelled to Copenhagen to meet with Danish and Greenlandic officials to underscore the value of their partnership. Former Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance Frank A. Rose, the last US official to negotiate a defence agreement with Denmark, said Trump's behavior threatened to undermine the access the United States had to the Danish territory, since, under the 1951 agreement, the US already had all the military access it needed. , Timothy Broglio, stated that American troops could in good conscience refuse orders to invade Greenland. On 7 January 2026, US senator Ruben Gallego introduced a resolution in the US senate to block Trump from invading Greenland. A few days later, Democratic and Republican senators introduced the bipartisan No Funds for NATO Invasion Act, which prohibits the use of federal funds for the invasion of any NATO member state or NATO-protected territory, as well as the bipartisan NATO Unity Protection Act to "prohibit the use of US Department of Defense or Department of State funds to blockade, occupy, annex or otherwise assert control over the sovereign territory of a NATO member state without that ally's consent or authorization from the North Atlantic Council", introduced by Republican senator Lisa Murkowski and Democratic senator Jeanne Shaheen. According to Murkowski, the Act seeks to stop Trump's threats against Greenland. Timothy Broglio, the Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, and former president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Trump's actions tarnish the image of the US and that it would be morally acceptable for US soldiers to disobey "morally questionable" orders to attack Greenland. Former Trump spokesperson Sarah Matthews said Trump's Greenland threats were "the most mentally ill, deranged thing" he had done. In particular, opposition lawmakers were quick to condemn the communique to Norway about the Nobel Prize, widely questioning Trump's mental fitness for office: Andy Kim, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, described it as "unhinged and embarrassing", and Chris Murphy of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee as "the ramblings of a man who has lost touch with reality". American historian Anne Applebaum wrote that Trump is "maniacally, unhealthily obsessive" about the Nobel Peace Prize and uses it as justification for an invasion of Greenland. Gavin Newsom criticised Europe's response to Trump's tariff threats as weak and "pathetic" while speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in and called on EU leaders to present a unified and more assertive stance toward the US. Experts said a US invasion of Greenland would violate US law and could spark a constitutional crisis. A poll from YouGov in mid-January found only 8% of Americans supported using military force to take Greenland from Denmark, with 73% opposition. "Buying" Greenland had only 28% support, with 45% opposition. Expatriate Americans Stephen Barnes, an American law professor based in Oslo, said that Americans in Europe now feel like Russians did in the aftermath of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He expressed a deep sense of shame and embarrassment among Americans, adding that he considers the reaction justified. Potential third impeachment Republican congressman Don Bacon predicted an invasion of Greenland would lead to the immediate impeachment of Trump with Republican support. Bacon said he would lean towards impeaching Trump and that many Republicans are angry about Trump's threats against Greenland, emphasising that Trump would need to back off if he wished to save his presidency. European Union and NATO members (right) urged "the United States to cease its threats against a historically close ally", and condemned the US threats. The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU stands in "full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland" against US threats. European Council President António Costa said the EU would support Greenland and ‍Denmark when ‍needed and that the EU would not accept violations of international law. European allies said they are working on a plan to support Denmark. EU lawmakers have called for freezing a proposed trade deal with the US. A joint statement, dated 6 January 2026, by President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark emphasised "sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders" and said that "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland." A joint statement by foreign ministers of the Nordic countries have echoed the same message. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen thanked the European allies for their support. Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech at the World Economic Forum on 20 January that geopolitical "shocks" and Trump's worldview require a "new form of European independence." She underlined that the sovereignty and integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark including Greenland is non-negotiable. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated that the EU does not need to deal with the Greenland crisis because it is only a dispute between Denmark and the US. There have been claims that Hungary and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have provided behind the scenes support for Donald Trump's territorial claims concerning Greenland. At the same time, Szijjártó's statement violates several obligations and expectations associated with EU membership, given that Denmark is also a member of the EU. At the height of the crisis, there also emerged calls and petitions to boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup, planned for the next summer and co-hosted by the United States. On 6 February, France and Canada announced the opening of their respective consulates in Nuuk in support of Greenlanders. == Analysis ==

Use of hybrid warfare The Trump administration's actions against Greenland and Denmark, initially referred to as the Greenland crisis, have been described by academics and commentators as hybrid warfare, a broad umbrella concept that may include the use of political warfare, fake news, diplomacy, lawfare, regime change, and foreign electoral intervention, among other methods. Greenland was united in condemnation of the US, describing it as "an entirely new and unsettling situation", Danish media interviewed several experts who said that the US actions against Greenland clearly amount to hybrid warfare. André Ken Jakobsson, a researcher on hybrid warfare, said, already in the spring of 2025, that "the tools the United States uses to achieve its objectives [in Greenland] also fall within the gray zone typically associated with hybrid warfare". Jakobsson believes the United States is now deliberately seeking to fracture the Kingdom of Denmark with the use of intelligence agencies and that the US has been using all of its means short of conventional war in its campaign to try to get Greenland. Speaking on US hybrid warfare and espionage, DR commentator Niels Fastrup said that the US has shifted from an attempt to buy Greenland in 2019 to hybrid influence operations, conducted by private individuals close to Trump. Swedish foreign affairs commentator and terrorism expert compared Trump's actions to Russian hybrid warfare, stating that "Trump realised that taking over Greenland militarily would be expensive, risky, and look very bad, but hybrid warfare is cheap and easy to deny". Implications for NATO and Vladimir Putin at the 2025 Alaska summit Trump's threats against Greenland have been described as a new, potentially unprecedented challenge to NATO, According to international relations scholar Iver B. Neumann, Trump is splitting the West on behalf of the Russians, which has been a key aim of Russian and Soviet foreign policy for years. Nielsen emphasised that it is now clear Denmark can no longer rely on the US, and that the future lies in a European defence cooperation without US involvement. Richard N. Haass said Europeans have come to see the US as a threat and no longer trust the US, and that Trump's actions are "turning upside down" what America has worked for over 75 years. In an editorial, The Wall Street Journal said Trump was enabling "the fondest dream of Russian strategy... to divide Western Europe from the US and break the NATO alliance." European leaders warned that Trump's threats have fundamentally undermined trust in the United States as a security and economic partner, accelerating efforts to reduce reliance on them and to develop independent European defence, security, and political coordination structures. Christopher S. Chivvis, a senior fellow and director of the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, argues that the tariff threat to facilitate a US annexation of Greenland represents a fundamental break with the post-1945 transatlantic order. He contends that by linking trade access to the territorial sovereignty of a NATO ally, the United States would shift from a security guarantor to a form of imperial power. Chivvis describes the demand as a revival of nineteenth century imperial practices, contrasting it with China's tendency to frame its territorial ambitions as the recovery of historically claimed lands. David Ignatius argued that Trump's efforts to annex Greenland had triggered a serious crisis that could undermine US security for decades, with potential costs far exceeding any strategic benefits of controlling the island. He characterised the initiative as self-destructive, remarking that it amounted to "shooting yourself in the head." Joshua Yaffa wrote that Trump needlessly caused a crisis in NATO and exacerbated European distrust toward the US only to "end up with basically the same set of options that existed months ago." American expansionism under Trump The escalation of American threats against Greenland has been linked by several commentators to the apparent success of the 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela. NBC News reported in mid-January 2026 that, according to senior American officials, Trump was "privately ramping up his focus on another target in the Western Hemisphere, increasingly complaining to aides in recent weeks about Canada's vulnerability to US adversaries in the Arctic". Trump's aggressive negotiation tactics have prompted comparisons with the madman theory. James D. Boys argues that Trump uses the theory, deliberately projecting unpredictability and issuing extreme threats to force concessions, citing Venezuela as an example of where defiance was punished, and warning that no country is immune, adding, "I'd be trying to stay well away from everything that's going on with Greenland and the NATO alliance." An article from South China Morning Post suggested that Trump's interest in controlling Greenland, the Panama Canal, Venezuela, and both Iran and the Strait of Hormuz amid the 2026 Iran war and 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis connects to a wider pattern of superpower nations attempting to seize control of passages and resources. Use of trolling, disinformation and far-right rhetoric posted by the White House on 14 January 2026 during the Greenland crisis. account on 20 January 2026 during the Greenland crisis, showing him planting a US flag on Greenlandic soil with JD Vance and Marco Rubio. walking along with a penguin carrying a US flag with a Greenlandic flag in the background. Penguins live in Antarctica, not in Greenland. The image seems to replicate a viral meme in 2026 known as "nihilistic penguin" taken from a clip of Encounters at the End of the World. As JD Vance and Marco Rubio met the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Vivian Motzfeldt, the White House posted a meme on Twitter with the question: "Which way, Greenland man?" with imagery implying a choice between the United States and an ominous-looking China and Russia. Heidi Beirich of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism described the meme as reflecting a key concept in neo-Nazi and white supremacist subculture, explaining that "Western man is code for white man, and one of the most popular racist books in these subcultures is Which Way Western Man, which has been featured in a Department of Homeland Security post celebrating manifest destiny." Trump has engaged in online trolling, posting an altered image that features the US flag covering Canada, Greenland and Venezuela and an AI image of himself planting a US flag in Greenland, marked as "US territory" and "EST. 2026." On 29 January 2026, German broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk was fined by Greenlandic police after comic artist attempted to raise the US flag near a cultural centre in Nuuk as part of a stunt. The broadcaster has since apologised and expressed "its regret to the people of Greenland". Attitudes towards the US Trump's threats have been described by Le Monde as turning the Greenlanders decidedly against the US. While Greenland is a longtime ally of the US with a traditionally positive view of the country, the view of the US has become strongly negative as a result of Trump's behaviour. Trade war Political scientist Hilmar Mjelde called Trump's actions a "political own goal of historic proportions", and said he believes Trump has underestimated European steadfastness. Annie Genevard said the EU has strong leverage and can retaliate in a trade war with the US, and that it could be "deadly for the United States", emphasising that Europeans will not let the US do as it pleases. US bases In legal analysis of the crisis, some commentators suggested sovereign bases as a solution, similar to the United Kingdom's retention of sovereign base areas in Cyprus, under which limited territory is held under foreign sovereignty primarily for military purposes. Commentators suggested that such a model could allow a foreign power to exercise sovereign control over specific installations in Greenland without a broader transfer of territory, though the proposal was described as legally complex and politically contentious. Both Danish and Greenland officials said sovereignty is not negotiable. Age and mental health of Donald Trump Trump's behavior drew commentary on his fitness for office. Vin Gupta, the medical analyst for NBC News, suggested that Trump's behavior could be signs of early Alzheimer's or frontotemporal dementia. He said that Trump's letter to Norway "crossed a line of proper adult behavior" and should have had a "more thorough public assessment of his neurological fitness." Trump also repeatedly confused Greenland with Iceland. Democratic lawmakers called for invoking the US 25th Amendment. Mercator projection Analysts noted that Trump's fixation on Greenland was likely fueled by its appearance on the common Mercator projection of the globe, which greatly exaggerates the island's area relative to other landmasses. In 2021, Trump exclaimed, "I love maps. And I always said, 'Look at the size of this. It's massive, and that should be part of the United States. == Impact ==

Domestic The January 2026 escalation was cited by Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen as a factor behind her decision to call snap elections, stating that "We must define our relationship with the U.S. We must arm ourselves to ensure peace on our continent. We must keep Europe together." Opinion polls indicated that the crisis boosted the popularity of Frederiksen's party, the Social Democrats. Deterioration of Euro-American relations Far-right politics Many far right and nationalist parties in Europe, including Alternative for Germany, National Rally, Sweden Democrats, Brothers of Italy, and Reform UK were described as repulsed by Trump's threats against the sovereignty of a European country. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni called Trump's statements "unacceptable" and said "friendship requires respect." Nigel Farage called Trump's threats against Greenland a "very hostile act" against Europe. According to a YouGov poll from February 2026, the crisis also led to an increase of people in Western Europe with an unfavourable opinion of the United States. Acceleration of technological decoupling == See also ==