US President Donald Trump has made another extraordinary threat against Greenland on top of previous warnings over the past week.
This is despite the UK’s Prime Minister Kier Starmer and his European allies scrambling to make gestures intending to assure America that the integrity of the Danish-administered island can be secured from Chinese and Russian threats without Trump resorting to annexing the territory.
According to NBC reporter Jennifer Jacobs post on X, trump said: “If we don’t take Greenland, Russia or China will, and I’m not letting that happen. If we don’t take Greenland, Russia or China will take Greenland.”
“I’d love to make a deal with them. It’s easier. But one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”
NATO-allies left scrambling
NATO responded to Donald Trump‘s persistent threats to seize Greenland, as naval forces were spotted conducting exercises in the Arctic over the weekend.
The U.S. President insisted on a deal to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous region of NATO ally Denmark, on Friday, aiming to thwart potential Russian or Chinese control.
“We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not,” he declared.
However, NATO countered with a social media post stating: “Training in the Arctic. NATO sea forces are practising together in the harsh conditions of the far north to keep this strategically important region safe.”
Social media erupts
Social media users were quick to interpret the post. One commented, “Looks like someone is trying to send a message..”
Another observed, “This one seems a little bit intentional.”
A third user noted, “NATO’s decision to post this today, in exactly this form and with exactly this messaging, is no coincidence. It is a transparent signalling exercise, and a rather clumsy one at that.”
Meanwhile, Britain is in discussions with NATO allies about bolstering security in the Arctic to counter threats from Russia and China, according to a government minister on Sunday.
Labour claims ‘business as usual’
U.K. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander clarified that these talks are “business as usual” and not a reaction to recent threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to annex Greenland.
Greenland, home to approximately 57,000 residents, relies on Denmark for its defence, though Denmark’s military pales in comparison to that of the United States, which maintains a military installation on the island. Denmark’s prime minister has cautioned that any takeover would pose a threat to NATO.
Britain shares Trump’s assessment that Russia and China are becoming increasingly assertive in the Arctic region, Alexander stated.
“Whilst we haven’t seen the appalling consequences in that part of the world that we’ve seen in Ukraine, it is really important that we do everything that we can with all of our NATO allies to ensure that we have an effective deterrent in that part of the globe against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” Alexander told the BBC.
It remains uncertain how other NATO members would react should the United States attempt to seize control of the island by force, or whether they would rally to Denmark’s defence.
