In an interview with the BBC, the US presidency stated that the acquisition of Greenland, a semi-autonomous region belonging to Denmark, also a NATO member, is considered a “national security priority” for the United States.
The White House’s position comes just hours after several European leaders released a joint statement supporting Denmark, which has resisted Trump’s ambitions regarding the Arctic island.
Over the weekend, the US president reiterated that the United States “needs” Greenland for security reasons, leading Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to warn that any US attack would mean the end of NATO.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the White House said: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy objective and, naturally, the use of US military forces is always an option available to the commander-in-chief.”
NATO is a transatlantic military alliance whose members pledge to provide mutual assistance in the event of an external attack.
Also on Tuesday, six European allies formally expressed their support for Denmark. In a joint statement, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark stated that “Greenland belongs to its people and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters relating to their relations.”
The signatories also emphasized that, like the United States, they are committed to Arctic security, but argued that this security must be ensured “collectively” by NATO allies. The statement also called for “respect for the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, including sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, welcomed the European position and advocated for “respectful dialogue.” “Dialogue must take place with respect to the fact that Greenland’s status is anchored in international law and the principle of territorial integrity,” he said.
The controversy surrounding Greenland’s future gained new momentum after the recent US military intervention in Venezuela, during which elite forces detained President Nicolás Maduro, taking him to New York to answer charges related to drug and arms trafficking.
The day after the operation, Katie Miller, wife of one of Trump’s top advisors, posted a map of Greenland on social media with the colors of the American flag, accompanied by the word “SOON.”
On Monday, her husband, Stephen Miller, stated that “it is the formal position of the United States government that Greenland should be part of the US.” Repeatedly questioned by CNN about the exclusion of the use of force to annex the territory, he replied: “No one is going to fight the United States over Greenland’s future.”
With approximately 57,000 inhabitants, Greenland has enjoyed a high degree of self-government since 1979, although defense and foreign policy remain the responsibility of Denmark. Despite many Greenlanders advocating for full independence, polls indicate overwhelming opposition to integration with the United States, which already maintains a military base on the island.
Morgan Angaju, 27, an Inuit resident in Ilulissat, western Greenland, told the BBC that it was “terrifying to hear the leader of the free world mock Denmark and Greenland and talk about us as if we were something to complain about.”
“We are already claimed by the people of Greenland. Kalaallit Nunaat means the land of the Greenlandic people,” he said, adding that he fears what might happen next, including the possibility of the Greenlandic prime minister suffering the same fate as Maduro or even an eventual “invasion of our country” by the United States.
