US president Donald Trump has recently intensified his interest in purchasing Greenland. This little Danish territory, only 70 miles from south to north, is strategically important to the United States. This recent aggressive act has been widely condemned by European leaders and has led to mass protests in Greenland and Denmark.
Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, has self-determination rights. Despite this, Trump has said repeatedly that the territory is crucial for US security interests. He suggested recently that he’d be open to taking Greenland by force. He proposed two ways for Washington to get it—the “easy way” and the “hard way.”
Denmark’s Foreign Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, remarked that Trump’s threats had “come as a surprise,” highlighting the diplomatic tensions brewing between the US and its European allies. In reaction to Trump’s warlike posture, many European countries have united to back Denmark in this fight.
In all three recent opinion polls, about 85% of Greenlanders didn’t like the sound of their territory becoming the next U.S. state. This sentiment was echoed during a protest in Nuuk, where thousands gathered to voice their opposition to any potential US takeover. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stood with the demonstrators. Jointly, they arranged to hold stirring artfully made placards bearing messages like “Greenland is not for sale” and “we create our future.”
Protests spread to Denmark, as thousands of Danish citizens joined their Greenlandic fellow citizens in the protest. That outcry has resulted in a surprisingly unified European – and especially Nordic – front against American interference with Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland. Resolution France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK have all contributed troops to Greenland—enough for a small battalion. This latest humanitarian reconnaissance mission is further testament to their deep commitment to maintaining stability in the region.
US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, has blasted Denmark’s ability to adequately control the far north. He stated that Denmark “just doesn’t have the resources or the capacity to do what needs to be done” in safeguarding its interests in Greenland.
In the last few days, European leaders have pushed back decisively on Trump’s latest threats. He has vowed to raise tariffs on eight of his allies who oppose his intended acquisition. Starmer added that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s denunciation of the tariff threat as “completely wrong” was “insufficient.” At the other extreme, French President Emmanuel Macron called it “unacceptable.”
“Tariff threats are unacceptable in this context… We will not be swayed by any intimidation.” – Emmanuel Macron
The dramatic turn of events has led to a flurry of high-level negotiations between top European leaders. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that Sweden is currently engaging in “intensive discussions with other EU countries, Norway and the United Kingdom to find a joint response.”
To take just one example, Prime Minister Antonio Costa of Portugal stated that the EU would “definitely be on the side of international law.” He stated that “the European Union will always be very firm in defending international law… which of course begins within the territory of the member states of the European Union.”
The geopolitical implications of such intentions by Trump are equally profound. Given climate change, the crisis of melting ice caps, the Arctic region is arguably more important than ever. New shipping routes and greater access to natural resources are becoming available in this shifting terrain. Trump’s focus on Greenland reflects a broader strategy to secure US interests in this rapidly changing landscape.