At a Glance
- Trump vows to seize Greenland “one way or the other” before Russia or China
- Greenland and Denmark reject U.S. advances, stoking NATO alarm
- $700 billion price tag floated if U.S. tries to buy the island
- Why it matters: NATO allies fear military action could shatter the alliance
President Donald Trump is pressing ahead with his demand to take control of Greenland, setting up a dramatic White House showdown with Danish and Greenlandic leaders who insist the island is not for sale.
Trump Doubles Down
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt on Wednesday. The meeting comes after Trump intensified his push to acquire the strategic Arctic territory following the U.S. strike on Venezuela.
In a Truth Social post ahead of the talks, Trump declared Greenland “vital” for America’s planned Golden Dome missile shield and said NATO should help the U.S. acquire it. Anything short of U.S. ownership, he wrote, is “unacceptable.”
He followed up with another post demanding that NATO “get the Russians and Chinese out now,” mocking Greenland’s defenses as inadequate. “Only the USA can!!!” he added.
Greenland’s Answer: No
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen left no room for doubt.
“Greenland does not want to be owned by the USA. Greenland does not want to be governed by the USA. Greenland will not be part of the USA,” he said Tuesday in Copenhagen alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. “We choose the Greenland we know today, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Trump dismissed Nielsen. “I don’t know who he is,” he told reporters. “Don’t know anything about him, but that’s going to be a big problem for him.”
NATO on Edge
European allies warn that military action against Greenland would fracture NATO. Trump has repeatedly floated force as an option, insisting the mineral-rich island is crucial for U.S. security.
A purchase could cost $700 billion, according to three sources familiar with internal estimates. Denmark says the island is not for sale.
Sleepless Nights in Nuuk
Greenlandic officials say Trump’s threats are rattling residents.
“This is really filling the agenda and the discussions around the households,” said Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business and mineral resources, at a London news conference Tuesday. “People are feeling the effects of it.”
She added that Greenlanders deserve a vote on any future. “For others this might be a piece of land, but for us it’s home,” she said.
American Opinion
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday found only 17% of Americans back Trump’s Greenland bid. Nearly half disapprove, while 35% are unsure.
Europe Pushes Back
France will open a consulate in Greenland next month, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced Wednesday, urging Washington to stop “blackmailing” Greenland and Denmark.
President Emmanuel Macron warned that undermining a European ally’s sovereignty would have “unprecedented” consequences.
The European Parliament is weighing a pause in implementing the new EU-U.S. trade deal to protest Trump’s threats.
High-Stakes Talks
Rasmussen said Denmark requested the White House meeting to ease tensions after Trump’s repeated public demands.
“We can look each other in the eye and talk about these things,” he told reporters Tuesday. Vance’s decision to join Rubio for the talks raises the stakes, a Danish official told News Of Fort Worth.
Key Takeaways
- Trump insists U.S. must control Greenland for missile defense
- Greenland and Denmark rule out sale or transfer
- NATO allies fear military move would split the alliance
- Most Americans disapprove of Trump’s Greenland push
