US President weighs military and diplomatic options to acquire Greenland, White House says
The White House has confirmed that US President Donald Trump and his senior advisers are discussing a range of options to acquire Greenland, including the possible use of military force, escalating tensions with European allies.
In a statement to the BBC, the White House said that bringing Greenland under US control was a national security priority. Greenland is a semi autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, which like the United States is a member of NATO.
The comments came only hours after several European leaders issued a joint statement backing Denmark’s sovereignty and rejecting any unilateral move over the Arctic island.
US President weighs military
Mr Trump reiterated over the weekend that the United States “needs” Greenland for security reasons, prompting Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to warn that any US attack on Greenland would effectively spell the end of NATO.
“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal,” the White House said on Tuesday. “Utilising the US military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”
Europe rallies behind Denmark
NATO is built on the principle that allies come to one another’s defence in the event of an attack. Against that backdrop, six European allies issued a coordinated response on Tuesday.
Leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark said in a joint statement that Greenland’s future could only be decided by Greenland and Denmark.
“Greenland belongs to its people,” the statement said, adding that Arctic security must be pursued collectively by NATO allies, including the United States. The leaders also stressed the need to uphold the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the statement and called for respectful dialogue grounded in international law.
Greenland issue reignited after Venezuela raid
The renewed focus on Greenland follows a dramatic US military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, who has been taken to New York to face drug and weapons charges.
A day after the raid, Katie Miller, the wife of senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller, shared an image of Greenland coloured like the American flag with the word “soon” on social media.
Stephen Miller later said it was the formal position of the US government that Greenland should become part of the United States. Asked whether Washington would rule out the use of force, he said no one would fight the US over Greenland’s future.
Local fears and opposition
Greenland has had extensive self rule since 1979, although defence and foreign policy remain under Danish control. The island has a population of about 57,000 people. While many Greenlanders support eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the United States.
Morgan Angaju, a 27 year old Inuit resident of Ilulissat, told the BBC it was frightening to hear world leaders speak about Greenland as something to be claimed.
“We are already claimed by the Greenlandic people,” he said. “Kalaallit Nunaat means the land of the Greenlandic people.”
He said some residents now feared whether Greenland’s leadership could face pressure similar to that experienced by Maduro, or even the possibility of a US invasion.
Strategic and economic stakes
An unnamed senior US official told Reuters that options under discussion included purchasing Greenland outright or negotiating a Compact of Free Association. A US State Department spokesperson said Washington was eager to build commercial relationships that benefit both Americans and Greenlanders, citing shared concerns about increased Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers in a classified briefing that there were no plans to invade Greenland, but confirmed that a purchase had been discussed, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said talks with Washington should clear up misunderstandings.
Supporters of Mr Trump’s position argue that Greenland’s location makes it strategically vital. The island sits between the Arctic and the North Atlantic, near emerging shipping routes opened by melting ice, and along the GIUK gap, a key naval choke point linking the Arctic to the Atlantic.
Greenland is also rich in untapped resources, including oil, gas and rare earth elements that are critical for technologies such as electric vehicles, renewable energy systems and defence applications.
Read more: Trump insists he is ‘very serious’ about taking Greenland despite NATO warnings
The US already maintains a military presence at Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, where about 150 US personnel are stationed. During the Cold War, that number reached several thousand.
Otto Svendsen of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said Greenland has long been central to early warning systems against Russian missiles and to monitoring naval activity in the North Atlantic.
Questions over necessity
Some analysts question whether full control of Greenland is necessary for US security. Marion Messmer of Chatham House noted that the US already operates in Greenland under a long standing defence agreement with Denmark.
“During the Cold War, the US significantly expanded its presence without challenging Danish sovereignty,” she said. “It could do so again if needed.”
As diplomatic pressure mounts, European leaders have made clear that any change in Greenland’s status must come through dialogue and international law, not force. Whether Washington heeds those warnings now appears set to shape the future of Arctic security and transatlantic relations.
