Denmark Warns NATO Is Over If US Moves on Greenland
Denmark’s political establishment has erupted into alarm after renewed comments from US President Donald Trump revived the long-simmering question of Greenland’s strategic future.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, a social democrat, responded with extraordinary rhetoric, warning that NATO itself would collapse if the United States were ever to move militarily against the Arctic territory.
The statement reflects deep fear among the EU elite that the postwar security order, long outsourced to the American taxpayer, is no longer guaranteed. Trump’s blunt talk about Greenland has shattered any remaining illusions that usually govern transatlantic relations.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland must be taken seriously, while raising concerns about NATO security and European stability https://t.co/7RgbESNOta pic.twitter.com/MCktUK4uYm
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 5, 2026
Frederiksen’s remarks came after Trump reiterated that Greenland is essential to American security interests, particularly amid growing Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic.
Unlike previous years, these comments landed in a changed geopolitical environment—one that’s shaped by America’s recent show of force in Venezuela and Trump’s willingness to act decisively, even against international norms.
In Denmark, the shock was immediate. Frederiksen told Danish television that any US attack on Greenland—part of the Kingdom of Denmark and a NATO member by extension would mark the end of the alliance itself. Her warning carried the unmistakable tone of a political class suddenly aware of its own strategic vulnerability.
Trump, for his part, has made no effort to soften his message. Speaking to reporters, he dismissed Denmark’s ability to secure Greenland and mocked Copenhagen’s limited military presence on the island. He argued that if Denmark cannot protect Greenland, someone else will.
Outrage in Copenhagen intensified even further after Trump suggested that the issue could come to a head within weeks. His remark about discussing Greenland again in “twenty days” was interpreted across Europe as a signal that Washington may be reassessing its patience with symbolic sovereignty unbacked by real power.
Greenland’s leadership attempted to calm tensions, insisting that the island is not Venezuela and that no immediate takeover is imminent. Yet the very need for such reassurances highlights how fragile Europe’s sense of control has become in an era of renewed great-power competition.
For decades, Europe has enjoyed the luxury of moralizing about global norms while relying on American muscle for its defense. Trump’s willingness to openly question that arrangement has stripped away the comforting fiction that NATO is a permanent, unconditional guarantee.
EU leaders, unsurprisingly, rushed to express solidarity with Denmark. The reality, however, is that few European states possess either the military capacity or the political will to defend remote strategic territories without US backing.
Adding to the controversy was a provocative social media post by a former Trump administration official, depicting Greenland overlaid with American imagery and the word “SOON.” While unofficial, the image tapped into a broader unease: Europe fears that Washington may now act first and consult later.
SOON pic.twitter.com/XU6VmZxph3
— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) January 3, 2026
Denmark’s ambassador to the United States issued a sharp response, demanding respect for Danish territorial integrity. Yet critics within Denmark have noted the irony, namely that Copenhagen has already granted the US extensive military access, including permanent facilities and basing rights.
The US military presence in Greenland is not hypothetical. The Pituffik Space Base, established under a Cold War-era defense agreement, plays a critical role in missile detection and space surveillance. It already anchors American power in the Arctic, regardless of formal sovereignty.
On the Danish mainland, cooperation with Washington has only deepened. Denmark has purchased American fighter jets and recently approved legislation allowing expanded US basing.
These decisions were applauded by Brussels and NATO bureaucrats, but they now leave Denmark in an awkward position: loudly asserting sovereignty while structurally dependent on the very power it claims to fear.
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