‘US takeover of Greenland would mean end of Nato’: Danish PM

The Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen said that if Trump took over Greenland that would mark an end of the Nato military alliance on Monday. Her comments came after US President Donald Trump’s renewed call for the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island to come under US control in the aftermath of the weekend military operation in Venezuela.

After the US intervention of Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro along with his wife early Saturday left the world leaders off guard, and the heightened concerns in Denmark and Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of the Danish kingdom and thus part of Nato.

Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart, Jens Frederik Nielsen, blasted the president’s comments and warned of catastrophic consequences. Numerous European leaders expressed solidarity with them.

“If the United States chooses to attack another Nato country militarily, then everything stops,” Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2 on Monday. “That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.”

More from World

Why Trump's plan for Venezuela oil wealth is slippery Indus treaty in abeyance, India fast-tracks four Chenab hydropower projects with tight deadlines

President Trump reiterated on Sunday that he wants to take over Greenland, prompting Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark to urge him to “stop the threats” to annex the semiautonomous Danish territory.

Frederiksen also highlighted Trump’s remark of seizing power over Greenland. “We will not accept a situation where we and Greenland are threatened in this way,” she added.

Nielsen, in a news conference on Monday, said Greenland cannot be compared to Venezuela. He urged his constituents to stay calm and united.

“We are not in a situation where we think that there might be a takeover of the country overnight and that is why we are insisting that we want good cooperation,” he said.

Quick Reads

View All

How Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro became a follower of Indian godman Sathya Sai Baba

Indus treaty in abeyance, India fast-tracks four Chenab hydropower projects with tight deadlines

Nielsen added: “The situation is not such that the United States can simply conquer Greenland.”

“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” Trump said.  

On Denmark’s mainland, the partnership between the US and Denmark has been long-lasting. The Danes buy American F-35 fighter jets and just last year, Denmark’s parliament approved a bill to allow US military bases on Danish soil.

Critics say the vote ceded Danish sovereignty to the US The legislation widens a previous military agreement, made in 2023 with the Biden administration, where US troops had broad access to Danish air bases in the Scandinavian country.