Donald Trump has reignited international controversy after warning that Greenland must make a deal with the United States or risk being taken over by Russia or China, dismissing NATO concerns and mocking the Arctic island’s current defences as “two dogsleds”.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night as he returned to Washington, the US president doubled down on his long-standing demand for control of Greenland, making clear he is unconcerned if such a move upsets NATO allies.
“If it affects NATO, then it affects NATO,” Trump said when asked whether acquiring Greenland could damage the alliance. “But they need us much more than we need them, I will tell you that right now.”
‘One way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland’
Although Trump said he has not yet made a formal offer to Greenland or Denmark, he painted a stark picture of the island’s security situation.
“Greenland should make the deal because Greenland does not want to see Russia or China take over,” he said. “Greenland, basically their defence is two dogsleds. In the meantime, you have Russian destroyers all over the place.”
In a separate exchange with reporters on board the aircraft, Trump suggested US control of Greenland was inevitable.
“If we don’t take Greenland, Russia or China will. And I’m not going to let that happen,” he said. “One way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”
Pressed on whether such a move could compromise NATO, Trump acknowledged it might anger allies but questioned the alliance’s value.
“Maybe NATO would be upset if I did it… we’d save a lot of money,” he said. “I like NATO. I just wonder whether or not, if needed, NATO would be there for us. I’m not sure they would.”
NATO tensions and legal realities
Trump’s remarks come despite NATO’s Article 5 collective defence clause, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all, having been invoked only once, following the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, when allies joined Washington in Afghanistan.
The comments have intensified a diplomatic crisis that has been simmering since Trump renewed his push to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory with major strategic importance in the Arctic.
Trump has argued that Greenland’s location, mineral wealth and increasing Russian and Chinese activity in the region make US control a national security necessity. While he has said a negotiated deal would be “easier”, he has also refused to rule out the use of force.
“If we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way,” he has previously warned.
Denmark pushes back as allies rally
Greenland, home to around 57,000 people, is defended by Denmark, whose military is far smaller than that of the United States. The US already operates a military base on the island, and Danish officials have warned that any attempt to seize Greenland would pose a direct threat to NATO itself.
Trump dismissed those concerns, portraying himself as a defender of the alliance and pointing to his past pressure on member states to increase defence spending.
Tensions between Washington and Copenhagen have risen sharply in recent days. Denmark’s ambassador to the US, Jesper Møller Sørensen, publicly rejected claims by a newly appointed US envoy that America had defended Greenland during the Second World War when Denmark could not.
Sørensen said Denmark has consistently stood alongside the US, including after 9/11, and stressed that Greenland’s future must be decided by Greenlanders alone.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Sunday that her country faces a “decisive moment”.
“There is a conflict over Greenland,” she said during a debate with other Danish political leaders, adding that the stakes go far beyond the island itself.
In a Facebook post, Frederiksen said Denmark is prepared to defend its principles. “We are ready to defend our values, wherever it is necessary, also in the Arctic. We believe in international law and in peoples’ right to self-determination,” she wrote.
Europe closes ranks
European allies have begun lining up behind Denmark. Germany and Sweden both voiced support for Copenhagen, condemning what Sweden’s prime minister described as “threatening rhetoric”.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson warned that a US takeover of Greenland would violate international law and could encourage similar actions elsewhere.
“Sweden, the Nordic countries, the Baltic states, and several major European countries stand together with our Danish friends,” he said at a defence conference attended by NATO’s top US commander.
Germany echoed that view, saying Greenland’s future must be decided by its people and Denmark, while acknowledging growing security challenges in the Arctic. German officials said they are prepared to take on greater responsibilities within NATO as the region’s strategic importance increases.
Polls show that Greenland’s population overwhelmingly opposes a US takeover, even as debate continues over the island’s long-term relationship with Denmark.
