Denmark warns NATO would fracture if US attacks ally over Greenland
Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has warned that NATO would be brought to a standstill if the United States were to attack another member state, rejecting renewed rhetoric from US President Donald Trump over Greenland.
Speaking in a televised interview on Monday, Frederiksen said any US military action against a NATO ally would be unacceptable. “If the US chooses to attack another NATO country, then everything would stop,” she said.
Frederiksen said Trump should be taken seriously over his comments about wanting control of Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and a NATO territory. She described recent remarks suggesting Washington could revisit the issue within weeks as “unacceptable pressure” and an “unreasonable attack against the international community.”
“The American president is not right. You cannot make claims on a part of our kingdom,” she said, dismissing arguments that US national security interests justify such demands.
She stressed that Denmark, Greenland and European partners have been united in opposing any suggestion of annexation. “We say no. The Greenlanders say no. Our European allies do as well,” Frederiksen said, adding that there is “full support from Europe that borders must be respected.”
Frederiksen noted that Denmark and Greenland have strengthened Arctic security over the past year and agreed within NATO on the need to enhance defence in the High North, “but with respect for existing borders.”
In a separate statement, she urged Washington to “stop the threats” against what she described as a historically close ally. “The United States has no legal basis to annex any part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland is not for sale,” she said.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also condemned Trump’s comments, calling the repeated rhetoric from the US “completely unacceptable” and “disrespectful.”
“When the US president talks about ‘needing Greenland’ and links us to military intervention, it is not just wrong. It is disrespectful,” Nielsen said, stressing that Greenland is a democratic society and not “an object in great-power rhetoric.”
While acknowledging Greenland’s strategic importance and NATO membership, Nielsen said threats and talk of annexation have no place between allies. “Enough is enough. No more pressure. No more fantasies of annexation,” he said, adding that dialogue must take place through proper diplomatic channels and in line with international law.
Several Nordic and Baltic countries have voiced strong support for Denmark and Greenland. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide their future, while leaders in Norway, Finland and Iceland expressed full solidarity.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said Denmark is a trusted NATO ally and that security concerns should be addressed through dialogue within the alliance, not unilateral claims. Estonian lawmaker Marko Mihkelson also stressed that Greenland’s future can only be decided by its people and Denmark.
Trump said on Sunday that the US needs Greenland for national security reasons, citing what he described as increased Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic. He also claimed that US control of the island would serve broader Western security interests.
