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European leaders are "stepping up" for Greenland amid increased U.S. government talk of a possible American takeover of the Arctic island as some Trump administration officials scrutinize Greenland’s history and Denmark’s control of the territory.
"The real question is, by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?” Stephen Miller, top aide to President Donald Trump, told CNN on Monday.
Newsweek has reached out to several foreign policy experts and the prime minister of Greenland for comment via email on Tuesday.
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Why It Matters
Trump has long coveted Greenland, a vast, sparsely populated semi-autonomous Danish territory that is rich in minerals and hosts the U.S. space base of Pituffik. Danish and Greenlandic officials have hit back at persistent U.S. overtures toward the island with increasing force.
Both the U.S. and Denmark are part of NATO, protected by the alliance's Article 5 that considers an attack on one to be an assault on all. For the U.S. to possibly turn its military on another NATO state would rip apart the essence of the alliance.
Talk of the United States seizing Greenland has intensified amid heightened rhetoric from Trump following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro over the weekend, and the president’s subsequent remarks to “run” the South American country.
What To Know
Trump on Sunday said that the U.S. needed Greenland for “national security” reasons, and members of his administration like Miller have emphasized that incorporating Greenland into the United States is the administration’s “formal position.” Shortly after the operation, Miller’s wife, conservative influencer Katie Miller, posted a picture of the American flag covering Greenland on X, with the caption reading “SOON.”
The president unsuccessfully attempted to buy the island from Denmark during his first term.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday that the U.S. had no legal basis to annex Greenland and already had access to the island under a long-standing defense agreement between the two countries. Frederiksen also noted that Denmark, “and thus Greenland,” is a NATO member and thereby is covered by the alliance’s security guarantee.
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On Tuesday, a statement on Greenland was issued and signed by President Emmanuel Macron of France; Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany; Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy; Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland; Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain; U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer; and Frederiksen.
It said that security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively with NATO allies, including the United States, by upholding the principles of the U.N. Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, prime minister of Greenland, told CNN that “we want Greenland as a sovereign nation. We want our own citizenship, we want to be Greenlanders and not Danes nor Americans, but we are absolutely willing to work with either both or the other one in regards to security and defense.”
Over the years, Greenland has moved toward greater self-rule, gaining expanded autonomy from Denmark. The island was first under Danish control in the early 1700s, and in 1953, Greenland’s status changed from a colony to part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Decades later, in 1979, home rule took effect, and in 2009, a self-government law expanded Greenland’s autonomy while keeping an annual Danish subsidy in place. As part of the Self-Government Act, Greenland can pursue independence negotiations through a referendum.
Ulrik Pram Gad, senior researcher on Arctic identity, diplomacy and security at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told Newsweek in an email that he believes “most Greenlanders definitively view Trump's approach as imperial,” while also noting that most have “serious grievances (many legitimate) about Danish colonial projects of the past - and about colonial mindsets living on among some Danes today.”
He noted that across Greenland’s political spectrum, people believe that the country needs to be a sovereign nation-state, adding, “The broad mainstream agrees that getting ready for independence is a long term perspective involving painstaking work to diversify the economy and develop human resources.”
Peter Harmsen, author of Greenland at War: The United States, Germany and the Struggle for the Arctic, 1939-45, told Newsweek in an email that “opinion polling has consistently shown majority support for eventual independence. However, most Greenlanders only support independence if their standard of living can be maintained. That will be difficult without the large subsidies currently paid by Denmark.”
Harmsen echoed what many European leaders have said about Trump’s comments, writing, “The implication is clear: a U.S. move on Greenland would trigger a crisis inside the alliance unlike anything since its founding.”
What People Are Saying
Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark's ambassador to the U.S., responding to Miller's post, on January 3: “Just a friendly reminder about the US and the Kingdom of Denmark: We are close allies and should continue to work together as such. US security is also Greenland’s and Denmark’s security. Greenland is already part of NATO. The Kingdom of Denmark and the United States work together to ensure security in the Arctic. The Kingdom of Denmark has significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts - in 2025 alone, we committed USD 13,7 bn that can be used in the Arctic and North Atlantic. Because we take our joint security seriously. And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, on X January 4: “Not long after World War II the West dissolved its empires and colonies and began sending colossal sums of taxpayer-funded aid to these former territories (despite have already made them far wealthier and more successful). The West opened its borders, a kind of reverse colonization, providing welfare and thus remittances, while extending to these newcomers and their families not only the full franchise but preferential legal and financial treatment over the native citizenry. The neoliberal experiment, at its core, has been a long self-punishment of the places and peoples that built the modern world.”
European leaders, in a statement: "NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European allies are stepping up. We and many other allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries. The Kingdom of Denmark—including Greenland—is part of NATO…Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."
What Happens Next
It is unclear what the Trump administration’s next move related to Greenland may be, with officials saying that the use of U.S. military and force is "always an option" in order to acquire the island.
U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, is moving to block any U.S. military action in Greenland, having introduced an amendment to the annual defense spending bill that would bar funding as he warned against getting involved in "more stupid wars of conquest."
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