Denmark’s prime minister has warned that any military attack by the United States on a Nato ally would bring the alliance, and the post-second world war security order, to an end, after Donald Trump again suggested taking control of Greenland.
Speaking on Danish television on Monday, Mette Frederiksen said a US attack on another Nato country would mean that “everything would stop”, including Nato itself. Her remarks followed renewed comments by the US president indicating that Washington “needed” Greenland, raising fears of possible military action.
The warning came days after Trump authorised a military operation in Venezuela and revived his long-standing interest in Greenland, a largely autonomous territory that remains part of the Danish kingdom. Although Greenland governs its internal affairs, its foreign and security policy is still handled by Copenhagen.
Greenland’s location between Europe and North America makes it strategically important to the US missile defence system. The island also has significant mineral resources, which Washington sees as vital to reducing reliance on Chinese supply chains.
Tensions intensified after Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a strongly worded rebuke to Trump, urging him to abandon what he described as “fantasies about annexation”. In a social media post, Nielsen said US rhetoric towards Greenland was “completely and utterly unacceptable”.
“Threats, pressure and talk of annexation have no place between friends,” Nielsen said. “That is not how you speak to a people who have shown responsibility, stability and loyalty time and again. Enough is enough.”
Speaking later in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, Nielsen sought to calm fears of an immediate takeover, stressing that Greenland was a democratic country and should not be compared to Venezuela.
Frederiksen accused the US of applying “unacceptable pressure” and described the situation as an “unreasonable attack on the world community”. She said Denmark was doing everything possible to prevent any escalation and insisted that Greenland had repeatedly made clear it did not wish to become part of the United States.
The Danish leader said she had been clear with Trump, both publicly and privately, about Denmark’s position and vowed to defend democratic values and international law.
The European Union also expressed its support, reiterating its commitment to national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The EU’s foreign policy spokesperson, Anitta Hipper, said the bloc would continue to defend these principles, particularly when the territory of a member state was involved.
Pressure is growing on Frederiksen, who faces a general election later this year, to outline concrete measures Denmark would take in the event of an attack on Greenland.
Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic MP in the Danish parliament, said that while an invasion was unlikely in the short term, Greenlanders should still prepare for the worst. She described Trump’s latest remarks as the most serious yet and warned that they reflected the emergence of a “new world order”.
She said recent US rhetoric had shattered long-held assumptions about dialogue and cooperation in international politics, adding that Greenland alone would decide its future.
Trump has previously refused to rule out military intervention to gain control of Greenland. Although he had been relatively quiet on the issue in recent months, fears resurfaced after the US military action in Venezuela and comments made by the president over the weekend.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump declined to say whether he planned to act in Greenland, saying he would revisit the issue “in 20 days”. He also mocked Denmark’s defence capabilities, claiming Greenland was surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships and that Denmark could not manage the security challenge.
Not all Greenlandic politicians share the same concerns. Pele Broberg, leader of the pro-independence Naleraq party, said he was not worried by Trump’s comments and argued that the US would protect Greenland if it became independent. He added that dialogue with Washington was preferable.
Danish intelligence services last month accused the US of using its economic power to assert its will and threatening military force against allies. The dispute comes amid rising tensions in the Arctic, where the US, China and Russia are competing for influence as melting ice opens access to minerals and strategic routes.
Denmark has received strong backing from its Nordic neighbours. Sweden, Norway and Finland have all voiced their support, with Sweden’s prime minister saying that only Denmark and Greenland had the right to decide Greenland’s future.
Other European leaders echoed that stance. Britain’s prime minister said Greenland’s future lay solely in the hands of its people, while Germany suggested Nato could discuss strengthening the island’s protection.
