This aerial presumption shows icebergs floating successful the waters beaten down by the prima with buildings successful the inheritance disconnected Nuuk, Greenland, connected March 11, 2025, connected the time of Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory, legislative elections.
Odd Andersen | Afp | Getty Images
Denmark is successful "full situation mode" aft U.S. President Donald Trump erstwhile again set his sights connected Greenland, pursuing the onslaught connected Venezuela.
"We request Greenland from the standpoint of nationalist information and Denmark is not going to beryllium capable to bash it, I tin archer you," Trump said Sunday connected Air Force One, echoing similar remarks made separately to The Atlantic magazine.
His comments travel a time aft the U.S. conducted a major subject cognition successful Venezuela, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, successful a astonishment involution that sent shockwaves crossed the globe.
It has raised alarm successful Denmark, which is liable for the defence of Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory.
"I person to accidental this precise straight to the United States: It makes perfectly nary consciousness to speech astir the request for the United States to instrumentality implicit Greenland," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Sunday successful a Facebook post.
U.S. President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (L) and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (C) talk to the media aboard Air Force One enroute to Washington, DC connected January 04, 2026.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images News | Getty Images
"The Kingdom of Denmark - and frankincense Greenland - is portion of NATO and is truthful covered by the alliance's information guarantee. We already person a defence statement betwixt the Kingdom and the United States today, which gives the United States wide entree to Greenland," Frederiksen said.
"I would truthful powerfully impulse the United States to halt the threats against a historically adjacent state and against different state and different radical who person said precise intelligibly that they are not for sale," she added.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said connected societal media that Trump's remarks were "very rude and disrespectful."
'The Greenland hazard is underpriced'
Trump has long advocated for power implicit Greenland, a immense and sparsely populated territory affluent successful minerals that is strategically situated betwixt Europe and North America.
Opinion polls person antecedently shown that Greenlanders overwhelmingly oppose U.S. control, portion a beardown bulk enactment independency from Denmark.
Copenhagen has sought to amended ties with Greenland successful caller months, pledging to boost spending for healthcare and infrastructure investments, portion besides seeking to defuse tensions with the Trump medication by investing successful Arctic defense, including the acquisition of 16 further F-35 combatant jets.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attends a property league astatine the Chancellery successful Berlin, Germany, Jan. 28, 2025.
Nadja Wohlleben | Reuters
Mujtaba Rahman, managing manager for Europe astatine governmental hazard consultancy Eurasia Group, said the Danish authorities is successful "full situation mode" implicit Trump's latest comments, citing Frederiksen's connection implicit the weekend.
"As I've agelong argued, the Greenland hazard is underpriced," Rahman said Sunday successful a LinkedIn post.
"A imaginable US involution successful Greenland is present the biggest root of hazard to the transatlantic confederation and intra-NATO and intra-EU cohesion, arguably acold greater than those presented by Russia's penetration of Ukraine," Rahman said.
The U.S. president, who has antecedently refused to regularisation retired the usage of subject oregon economical unit to instrumentality Greenland, named Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry arsenic peculiar envoy to Greenland past month.
The assignment was condemned by some Denmark and Greenland. Landry has publically endorsed Trump's propulsion to bring Greenland nether U.S. control.
Katie Miller, the woman of apical White House adjutant Stephen Miller, posted to X a representation of Greenland covered with an American emblem with the caption "SOON," soon aft Maduro was captured connected Saturday.
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