Denmark’s prime minister has issued one of the starkest warnings yet about Donald Trump’s renewed threats to seize Greenland, saying that any US military action against the territory would spell the end of Nato and shatter the post-Second World War security order.
Mette Frederiksen said the consequences of a Nato member attacking another ally would be catastrophic, following comments from Trump that the United States “needs” Greenland for defence purposes. Greenland is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Danish kingdom, though it has wide autonomy over domestic affairs.
Trump’s remarks, made days after the US launched military strikes in Venezuela, have reignited fears that his long-standing interest in Greenland could escalate beyond rhetoric.
🇩🇰 Denmark: an attack would end Nato itself
Speaking to Danish broadcaster TV2, Frederiksen warned that the implications of any US aggression against Greenland would go far beyond bilateral relations.
“If the United States decides to militarily attack another Nato country, then everything would stop – that includes Nato and therefore post-Second World War security,” she said.
She accused Washington of applying “unacceptable pressure” and described Trump’s language as an “unreasonable attack on the world community”. Frederiksen stressed that Denmark and Greenland had been unequivocal in rejecting any suggestion of annexation.
“You cannot go in and take over part of another country’s territory,” she said, adding that Greenland had repeatedly made clear it does not wish to become part of the United States.
🇬🇱 Greenland PM tells Trump: ‘Enough is enough’
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued an unusually blunt response, urging Trump to abandon what he described as “fantasies about annexation”.
“Threats, pressure and talk of annexation have no place between friends,” Nielsen said in a public statement. “Enough is enough. No more pressure. No more innuendo. No more fantasies about annexation.”
He said Greenland was open to dialogue but only through proper diplomatic channels and in line with international law, rejecting what he described as “random and disrespectful posts on social media”.
“Greenland is our home and our territory. And that is how it will remain,” he added.
🇪🇺 EU and Nato allies rally behind Denmark
The European Union moved quickly to back Denmark and Greenland, with EU foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper reaffirming that borders cannot be changed by force.
“The EU will continue to uphold the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders,” she said, stressing that these principles apply “all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned”.
Nordic neighbours Sweden, Norway and Finland also expressed support. Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson said only Denmark and Greenland had the right to decide their future and confirmed Sweden’s “full support” for Copenhagen.
🌍 Arctic tensions and a ‘new world order’
The row comes amid rising geopolitical competition in the Arctic, where melting ice is opening access to minerals, shipping routes and strategic military positions. The US, China and Russia are all seeking to expand their influence in the region.
Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz said Trump’s latest comments marked the most serious escalation so far and warned that Greenlanders should “prepare for the worst”.
“We are in a situation that is concerning,” she said. “The way the US is talking about Greenland represents a totally new world order.”
Chemnitz stressed that Greenland’s future must be decided by its own people, regardless of outside pressure.
🇺🇸 Trump doubles down on security claims
Despite international backlash, Trump has continued to frame Greenland as a strategic necessity, citing Chinese and Russian activity in Arctic waters. Speaking aboard Air Force One, he mocked Denmark’s defence capabilities and refused to rule out future action.
“Right now, Greenland is full of Chinese and Russian ships everywhere,” he said. “We need Greenland for national security reasons. Denmark will not be able to handle the task.”
Trump declined to clarify whether military action was being considered, saying he would revisit the issue “in 20 days”.
The renewed rhetoric follows years of controversy dating back to Trump’s first term, when he openly floated buying Greenland – a proposal that was swiftly rejected by both Denmark and Greenland.
As tensions rise, European leaders are warning that what may once have sounded like provocation now carries far more serious implications for global stability.
One response to “US attack on Greenland would mean end of Nato, warns Danish PM”
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It’s impossible to consult with Trump over Greenland. He say’s it’s for security purposes, and if so he should be consulting with Denmark/Greenland in establishing military bases to defend and project to non allies that Greenland belongs to the west.
Unfortunately, his remarks are different from his actions. With regard to Venezuela the official statement in was to invade and incarcerate the Venezuelan president for alleged Narco terrorism. just weeks after pardoning the former president of Honduras who shipped tons of drugs into the US.
After the incursion into Venezuela the only thing Trump is talking about is oil.
I suspect that the true intent for Greenland is to access it’s assets and the security aspect is just a rise.
Related: Keir Starmer backs Denmark as Trump revives threat to seize Greenland
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