After Venezuela, will Greenland be the next target of Donald Trump? After witnessing with astonishment the military intervention to overthrow Nicolas Madurothe leaders of the European Union are no longer taking the US president’s threats to annex this vast Arctic territory under Danish sovereignty as a joke. Quite the contrary, panic has set in in Brussels over the real possibility that Trump will take action.
“We need Greenland as a matter of national security. It is a territory of enormous strategic value. Right now, Greenland is full of Russian and Chinese ships everywhere,” Trump insisted early this Monday, aboard the presidential plane that was transporting him. from his Mar-a-Lago mansion to the White House after the Christmas holidays.
The US president has gone further and has openly ridiculed the Danish Government, which he accuses of not being in a position to protect Greenland. “Denmark is not going to be able to do it, I assure you.. Do you know what he did recently to strengthen security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled. It’s true, they thought it was a great measure,” he mocked to reporters.
“We need Greenland from a national security standpoint, and the European Union needs us to have itand they know it,” Trump concluded when asked about the justification for annexing this Danish territory.
“The risk posed by Greenland is undervalued. A possible US intervention on the island is the greatest source of risk for the transatlantic alliance and for cohesion within NATO and the EU, and probably far outweighs the dangers arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” says Mujtaba Rahman, European director of Eurasia Group.
In fact, with his latest statements, Trump openly ignored the Danish prime minister, the socialist Mette Frederiksenwhich just a few hours earlier had issued an unusually forceful statement demanding Washington “cease threats” against a “historically close” ally and a people that has made it clear that “it is not for sale.”
“I feel obliged to say it very clearly to the US: It makes no sense to say that the US needs to take over Greenland. “The US has no title or right to annex one of the three territories that make up the Kingdom of Denmark (along with mainland Denmark and the Faroe Islands).” the statement starts.
“The Kingdom of Denmark – and, therefore, Greenland – is a member of NATO and is therefore covered by the Alliance’s security guarantee. Today there is already a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the US that grants the latter broad access to Greenland. Furthermore, Denmark has made significant investments in Arctic security,” Frederiksen alleges.
Tensions around Greenland soared again after a tweet published on Saturday – a few hours after the intervention in Venezuela – by Katie Miller, wife of Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff and national security advisor. “SOON,” he wrote next to a map of the Arctic island covered by the American flag.
“When the president talks about ‘we need Greenland’ and relates it to Venezuela and military intervention“Not only is it wrong, it is disrespectful,” replied Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who has called the American rhetoric “absolutely unacceptable“.
“We are part of NATO and we know perfectly well the strategic importance of our region. A respectful and loyal relationship with the US is fundamental and has been that way for decades. We are open to dialogue, but always through the appropriate channels and respecting international law. “These channels are not random and disrespectful posts on social media,” Nielsen denounces.
In a new sign that he is serious, Trump appointed a special envoy in charge of annexing the island to the United States before the Christmas break. This is the Republican governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landrywho will combine his work at the head of the southern state with this newly created position.
After the latest attack by the American president and his closest collaborators, European leaders have come out in a rush with declarations of firm solidarity towards Denmark and Greenlandespecially the Nordic and Baltic neighbors.
“Greenland is a US ally and is also protected by NATO, and that makes a big, big difference. For this reason, we completely support Greenland, and in no way do we see that it can be compared with what has happened” in Venezuela, the spokesperson for the European Commission said this Monday, Paula Pinho.
“We hope that all our partners respect sovereignty and territorial integrityand that they comply with their international commitments,” Ursula von der Leyen’s spokespersons insist, without directly mentioning Trump.
“No one decides for Greenland or Denmark, except Greenland and Denmark. Our Nordic friend Denmark and its prime minister have our full support,” the president of Finland has written, Alexander Stubb. “Only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide on matters that concern them,” underlines the swedish Ulf Kristersson.
“Denmark is a strong democracy and a reliable NATO ally. Greenland is an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Understanding the legitimate security needs of the US, I believe that these can be addressed through direct dialogue between Denmark and the US, within the framework of collective defense,” says the president of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics.
However, beyond the grandiloquent speeches, The EU lacks a clear strategy to curb Trump’s imperialist ambitions over Greenland and does not have a response plan for a possible invasion. A year ago, France offered to send troops to the Arctic island, but the Danish Prime Minister ruled it out.
What will the EU do if the US president makes good on his threat and annexes Greenland? Will Brussels respond with economic or other retaliation against Washington? Or will it resign itself to the fait accompli without reaction, as it already did with Trump’s unilateral tariffs?
On board Air Force One, the US president has hinted that his decision is near. “We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months. Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days,” he said.
“No one will take a weak and divided Europe seriously: neither enemies nor allies. It is now clear. We must finally believe in our own strength, we must continue to arm ourselves, we must remain united as never before. One for all and all for one. Otherwise we are lost“, warns the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk.