Trump Is Dead Serious About Taking Over Greenland

Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force)

United States President Donald Trump has doubled down on the idea of taking over Greenland, even after Denmark’s leader urged him to “stop the threats” over the island.

Even before assuming office, Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect of the semi-autonomous Danish territory becoming a part of the U.S., citing its strategic location for defense purposes and mineral wealth.

The U.S. first established bases in Greenland under a 1941 agreement with Denmark to protect it from Nazi German invasion and secure strategic weather and resource advantages. This presence became permanent with a 1951 agreement, leading to the construction of Thule Air Base, now known as Pituffik Space Base, for missile warning and defense operations.

Speaking to NBC News on January 5, Trump said that the U.S. “need Greenland for national security, and that includes Europe.”

“You know I’m very loyal to Europe. We need it for national security, right now,” he continued.

“I think that Greenland is very important for the national security of the United States, Europe, and other parts of the free world,” he added.

Trump also said he had “no timeline” for taking action, but maintained he is “very serious” in his intent to take over Greenland.

The issue resurfaced in the wake of a major U.S. military operation against Venezuela on January 3, abducting its president Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Notably, Denmark, like the rest of U.S. allies, stopped short of condemning the operation.

Responding to Trump’s latest remarks, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said “that’s enough now” and described the notion of U.S. control over the island as a “fantasy”.

“No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law,” he said.

Earlier, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had said “the U.S. has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom,” adding that Greenland was a NATO member and covered by the alliance’s security guarantee, and noting a defense agreement granting the U.S. access to the island was already in place.

The Danish prime minister released her statement after Katie Miller – the wife of one of Trump’s senior aides, Stephen Miller – posted on social media a map of Greenland in the colors of the American flag alongside the word “SOON”.

Click to see full-size image. (X)

Miller, who serves as the White House deputy chief of staff, later asserted that the formal position of the Trump administration is that “Greenland should be part of the United States,” but he rejected that military force would be necessary to acquire it.

“Nobody’s gonna fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland,” Miller said on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”

“What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark? The United States is the power of NATO. For the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously, Greenland should be part of the United States, and so that’s a conversation that we’re going to have as a country,” he added.

Worried of the recent remarks coming out from the U.S., leaders from major European powers issued a statement in support of Denmark and Greenland on January 6.

“NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up. We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries. The Kingdom of Denmark – including Greenland – is part of NATO.

Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them.

The United States is an essential partner in this endeavor, as a NATO ally and through the defense agreement between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States of 1951.

Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” said the statement by leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark.

While European NATO states have been very vocal in their support of Denmark, what Miller said is very true. In the end of the day, none of these countries has the ability, or the will to pick a fight with the U.S. over Greenland.

The U.S. could end up taking military action to seize the region. Such an invasion will likely end within a few hours. European NATO states will likely opt to respond in a political way. But even then, the Trump administration could hit back with harsh tariffs or even sanctions bringing the allies to their knees.

NATO may not survive such a confrontation in its current state, but this may not be a big loss for Washington, which has been working on consolidating its own security interests away from the costly alliance for a while now, and largely shifting attention to Latin America, as well as to Eastern and Southeastern Asia.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

NOW hosted at southfront.press

Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.

The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

MORE ON THIS TOPIC: