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European governments including those in France and Germany are working closely on a plan on how to respond should the United States act on its threat to take over Greenland, as Europe seeks to address U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitions in the region.
A U.S. military seizure of Greenland from longtime ally Denmark would send shock waves through the NATO alliance and deepen the divide between Trump and European leaders.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the subject would be raised at a meeting with the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland later in the day.
“We want to take action, but we want to do so together with our European partners,” he said on France Inter radio.
Leaders from major European powers and Canada have rallied behind Greenland this week, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people, following a renewed threat by Trump to take over the territory.
Denmark, Greenland call for ‘sensible dialogue’
Trump in recent days repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland, an idea first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency. He argues the island is key for U.S. military strategy and claims Denmark has not done enough to protect it.
Trump’s latest comments come in the wake of a U.S. military operation over the weekend that seized Venezuelan autocrat Nicolás Maduro. The legality of the seizure under international law has been questioned, but it has ignited concerns that Greenland might face a similar scenario.
WATCH | Greenland MP says it’s not a time to panic yet:
‘This isn’t new’: Greenland opposition MP reacts to U.S. annexation threats
Greenland MP and opposition leader Pele Broberg responds to renewed U.S. threats to acquire Greenland by advocating for direct negotiations with the Trump administration: ‘We want independence. They want security. Is there anything to gain from both of us?’
Some White House officials have not allayed those concerns with statements this week.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday said Trump and his advisers were “discussing a range of options” regarding Greenland and that, “utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”
Separately, White House adviser Stephen Miller questioned Denmark’s territorial claim to Greenland in an interview on CNN on Monday, proclaiming: “Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.”
France’s Barrot suggested an American military operation had been ruled when he spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, have requested an urgent meeting with Rubio to discuss the situation.
“We would like to add some nuance to the conversation,” Rasmussen wrote in a social media post. “The shouting match must be replaced by a more sensible dialogue. Now.”
Congressional leaders condemn ‘coercion’
The world’s largest island but with a population of just 57,000 people, Greenland is not an independent member of NATO but is covered by Denmark’s membership of the Western alliance.
The island is strategically located between Europe and North America, making it a critical site for the U.S. ballistic missile defence system for decades. Its mineral wealth also aligns with Washington’s ambition to reduce reliance on China.
The second Trump administration’s aggressive statements have caused confusion and consternation as a 1951 agreement between the U.S. and Denmark gives Washington the right to move around freely and construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified.
The U.S. military maintains a permanent presence at Pituffik airbase in northwest Greenland.
WATCH | On Greenland’s strategic importance (from Jan. 2025):
What’s with Trump’s obsession with Greenland? | About That
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has long been fascinated with owning and controlling Greenland, spanning from his interest in buying the country in 2019, to his recent refusal to rule out taking it by military force. Andrew Chang explores four potential reasons why Trump calls ownership of Greenland ‘an absolute necessity.’
Images provided by Getty Images, Reuters and The Canadian Press.
Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly said the island is not for sale, a fact mentioned in a statement jointly released by the co-chairs of the U.S. Senate’s NATO Observer Group, Republican Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat from New Hampshire.
“When Denmark and Greenland make it clear that Greenland is not for sale, the United States must honour its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” the statement read. “Any suggestion that our nation would subject a fellow NATO ally to coercion or external pressure undermines the very principles of self-determination that our Alliance exists to defend.”
The statement added that Denmark has increased its defence spending in recent years and “was among the first to stand with us” as the U.S engaged in military operations in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks.
But several other Republicans have hewed closer to the White House line that Greenland is of strategic importance to the U.S., including several in Congress and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who was named special envoy to Greenland last month.
Trump has repeatedly said Russian and Chinese vessels are stalking waters around Greenland, which Denmark disputes.
Danish troops practice looking for potential threats during a military drill as Danish, Swedish and Norwegian home guard units together with Danish, German and French troops take part in joint military drills in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, on Sept. 17, 2025. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)
“The image that’s being painted of Russian and Chinese ships right inside the Nuuk fjord and massive Chinese investments being made is not correct,” Rasmussen told reporters late on Tuesday.
Vessel tracking data from MarineTraffic and LSEG show no presence of Chinese or Russian ships near Greenland.