European leaders have mounted an unusually forceful and united defence of Denmark and Greenland after senior figures close to former US president Donald Trump suggested Washington could be prepared to seize control of the Arctic territory, even by force if necessary. The remarks have triggered alarm across Europe, raised questions about the future of Nato unity, and sent shockwaves through Greenland, where leaders say people are anxious and fearful.
In a rare collective rebuke to the White House, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany joined counterparts from Denmark, Italy, Poland and Spain to declare that Greenland’s future can only be decided by its own people and the Danish kingdom. “Greenland belongs to its people,” the joint statement said, underscoring that sovereignty over the semi-autonomous territory rests solely with Denmark and Greenland themselves.
“It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” the leaders said, in language widely seen as a direct response to renewed US rhetoric about acquiring the vast, sparsely populated island.
The coordinated European stance came as tensions flared following comments by Stephen Miller, the US president’s influential deputy chief of staff for policy, who declined to rule out the use of force to take control of Greenland. Speaking to CNN, Miller claimed that “nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland” and suggested that military intervention would not be necessary because of the island’s small population.
A day earlier, Donald Trump himself had reignited controversy by saying the United States needed Greenland “very badly”, reviving fears first aired during his presidency that Washington might seek to acquire the territory to secure access to its strategic location and its vast reserves of oil, gas and rare earth minerals as Arctic ice continues to melt.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer moved swiftly to reaffirm British support for Denmark. Speaking at a press conference in Paris later on Tuesday, with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner present, Starmer said London’s position was unequivocal.
“I’ve been very clear as to what my position, the position of the UK government, is,” he said, reiterating that the sovereignty of Greenland is not open to challenge.
Despite the sharp tone of the European declaration, Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz were careful not to deepen the already fragile transatlantic rift. The leaders were in Paris primarily for an event planned before the Greenland controversy erupted, aimed at strengthening security commitments to Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia. Their public focus remained on bolstering Kyiv, even as behind-the-scenes diplomacy intensified over Greenland.
In Copenhagen, the US comments triggered deep concern. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen warned starkly that any attack on Greenland would risk the collapse of Nato itself. Such a move, she said, would spell the end of “everything” the alliance stands for.
Greenland, while largely self-governing, remains part of the kingdom of Denmark, which retains control over foreign and security policy. Any attempt by one Nato member to seize territory from another would strike at the heart of the alliance’s principle of collective defence and mutual trust.
European leaders echoed that concern in their statement, stressing that security in the Arctic must be pursued collectively within Nato, not through unilateral action. “Nato has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European allies are stepping up,” they said. “We and many other allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries.”
The crisis escalated further on Tuesday night when the White House confirmed that Trump and his team were actively discussing options for acquiring Greenland, including the possible use of military force.
“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States,” the White House said in a statement responding to questions from Reuters. “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”
Earlier, Miller had gone further, questioning Denmark’s right to Greenland by describing it as a former colony and challenging the basis of Copenhagen’s territorial claim. In comments that drew sharp criticism, he incorrectly stated that Greenland’s population was about 30,000, when in fact it is closer to 57,000.
“What do you mean, military action against Greenland?” Miller said. “Greenland has a population of 30,000 people. The real question is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland?”
His remarks were compounded by a provocative social media post from his wife, rightwing podcaster Katie Miller, who shared an image of Greenland draped in a US flag with the caption “SOON”.
Greenland and Denmark have sought urgent talks with Washington. Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, said both governments had requested an immediate meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio to “discuss the significant statement made by the United States about Greenland”.
Late on Tuesday, however, there were signs of a softer tone from parts of the US administration. The Wall Street Journal reported Rubio as downplaying the prospect of military action, suggesting Trump still preferred to pursue Greenland through purchase rather than force.
Nevertheless, the damage was already done. Lord Ricketts, a former UK national security adviser, warned that a US annexation of Greenland would be catastrophic for Nato. “For all practical purposes, it would be the end of an alliance which is based essentially on trust,” he said.
In such a scenario, Ricketts argued, alternative security arrangements would take on far greater importance, including the UK- and France-led “coalition of the willing” supporting Ukraine, as well as bilateral defence ties with the United States.
In Greenland itself, the rhetoric from Washington has been met with anxiety and anger. Naaja H Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business, mineral resources, energy, justice and gender equality, said people were deeply unsettled.
“The people of Greenland take this potential threat very hard and are anxious and afraid,” she said, adding that while Greenland had long been “a good American ally”, that relationship did not translate into any desire to become part of the United States.
“We are very few, but we are a people in our own right and insist that we are the ones to decide the future of Greenland,” Nathanielsen said.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, was even more blunt, urging Trump to abandon what he called his “fantasies about annexation”. Describing the US rhetoric as “completely and utterly unacceptable”, he said: “Enough is enough.”
Greenland’s history adds to the sensitivity of the current crisis. Inuit peoples are believed to have lived on the island since around 2500 BCE. Modern colonisation began in 1721, when the missionary Hans Egede arrived with the backing of Denmark-Norway. Greenland remained a colony until 1953, when it became an integral part of the Danish kingdom.
During the second world war, while Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany, the United States took control of Greenland to prevent German access, returning it to Denmark in 1945. Since the cold war, the US has maintained a major military base at Pituffik, formerly known as Thule, a key site for ballistic missile early warning.
In recent years, support for full Greenlandic independence has grown, fuelled in part by revelations about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlanders during and after the colonial era, including the so-called IUD scandal. Yet even advocates of independence have reacted with alarm to the prospect of US annexation.
In March, amid the renewed US pressure, Greenland formed a four-party coalition government in a show of unity. The opening line of its coalition agreement was stark and symbolic: “Greenland belongs to us.”
As European leaders rally around that principle, the standoff has become a defining test of transatlantic relations, Nato cohesion and the rules-based international order in the rapidly warming Arctic. Whether Washington’s rhetoric translates into action remains uncertain, but for Europe and Greenland alike, the message is clear: the future of the island is not for sale, and certainly not for seizure.
