EditDenmark PM urges Trump to cease Greenland ‘threats’ following provocative interview
Speaking to The Atlantic, Trump declared "We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence”, later adding “Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days”
Leaders in Denmark and Greenland issued sharp condemnations on Sunday, calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to halt threats of annexing the Arctic territory after he reiterated his desire to control Greenland in a Sunday interview with The Atlantic, just a day after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed Trump’s remarks as making “absolutely no sense,” asserting that the U.S. “has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom.” In a statement, she urged Washington to “stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen echoed the sentiment, labelling Trump’s linkage of Greenland to the Venezuela intervention as “not just wrong” but “disrespectful.” He emphasized Greenland’s sovereignty, stating, “We are a people. A country. A democracy. This has to be respected.”
In the Atlantic interview, Trump declared, “We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence,” describing the island as “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.” He later doubled down to reporters aboard Air Force One, saying “Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days” and claiming Denmark lacks the capability to protect it adequately.
The comments follow Trump’s 21 December appointment of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, a decision that has already strained relations. Landry, who supports U.S. acquisition, oversees efforts amid Washington’s interest in the island’s mineral resources and strategic position for ballistic-missile defence.
Trump reignites push to acquire Greenland: appoints special envoy amid diplomatic storm
Greenland, self-governing since 2009 but reliant on Danish subsidies, has the right to independence, though polls indicate strong opposition to U.S. integration.
Denmark has ramped up Arctic defence investments, committing $13.7 billion in 2025 alone, to bolster ties with both Greenland and the U.S. amid escalating tensions.
However, these events risk undermining NATO unity, with experts like those from the Atlantic Council warning of broader alliance fractures under Trump’s aggressive stance.
Adding fuel to the diplomatic fire, Katie Miller – wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and a former administration official – posted a provocative image on X late Saturday, showing Greenland overlaid with the American flag and captioned “SOON.” The post, viewed over 27 million times, was widely seen as implying imminent U.S. annexation in the wake of the Venezuela operation.
SOON pic.twitter.com/XU6VmZxph3
— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) January 3, 2026
Denmark’s U.S. Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen quickly responded on X, offering a “friendly reminder” of the alliance while stressing “full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Nielsen condemned the image as “disrespectful,” affirming that it “changes nothing whatsoever” and that Greenland’s future “is not decided by social media posts.”
The post ignited widespread online outrage, with users drawing Nazi-era comparisons, calling it “imperial arrogance,” “dehumanizing,” and “psychotic.” Critics, including activists and former diplomats, labeled it un-American and a sign of eroding U.S. credibility among allies.
the European Union as an institution has not issued a formal unified statement specifically condemning U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed threats to annex Greenland following his Atlantic interview and the provocative social media post by Katie Miller.
However, individual EU leaders and officials have expressed strong solidarity with Denmark and Greenland, emphasizing the inviolability of borders and sovereignty. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned against any threats to the EU’s “sovereign borders,” while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz invoked fundamental principles of international law, stating that borders “must not be shifted by force.”
If Trump were to seize Greenland by force, the European Union would likely be constrained in its response due to the vast military disparity, with options limited to diplomatic condemnation, economic sanctions, and invoking Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty – the mutual assistance clause – to rally member states in support of Denmark, though enforcement against the world’s preeminent superpower would be symbolic at best and probably amount to nothing substantive in halting the action.
Experts warn that such an unprecedented intra-alliance aggression would terminally erode trust in transatlantic relations, potentially signalling the end of NATO as we know it.
Annexing Greenland would probably
➖Destroy NATO
➖Create a EU-US trade war
➖Compel the US to militarily rule a reluctant Greenlandic population
➖Encourage a Russian attack on the Baltics
➖Destroy a range of US commercial interests: from the lock-out of (all/some) US…— Daniel Korski (@DanielKorski) January 4, 2026
With agencies.
Caption: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the end of the EU Council Summit in Brussels, Belgium, 19 December 2025. EU leaders were meeting to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine, the EU’s next multiannual financial framework, the EU enlargement process, and the geoeconomic situation in the European Union. EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
Updated: January 5, 2026 - 07:20
