Denmark were ready if the US did plan on invading Greenland (Image: Getty)
As Trump’s threats to take Greenland have died down amid the Iran war, new reports show that the European nation was prepared to enter war with the U.S. over it, as Denmark is said to have flown blood bags and explosives into Greenland after Trump threatened to take the island “the hard way”.
Meanwhile, Danish troops were carrying live ammunition and bombs to destroy runways in the capital Nuuk and the nearby town of Kangerlussuaq. This would have been the strategy to prevent U.S. aircraft from landing there if war were declared.
Officials feared the U.S. would attack at any moment after Trump’s threats in early January, when he stated the U.S. would do it “the easy way” or “the hard way.”
The Danes are also said to have sought political support from France and Germany, as well as their Nordic neighbours, to form a European alliance to defend Greenland against the U.S. just after Trump’s 2024 presidential win.
The biggest turning point, however, was when the U.S. attacked Venezuela, capturing its president, Nicolás Maduro, and bringing him to New York.
A source recently told Danish public broadcaster DR, “When Trump keeps saying he wants to take over Greenland, and then what happened in Venezuela happened, we had to take all scenarios seriously.”
Trump then claimed the U.S. needed Greenland “very badly” to prevent China or Russia from taking over, just a day after his invasion of Venezuela, claiming he would “worry about Greenland in about two months”.
“We need Greenland for a national security situation. It’s so strategic”, said Trump at the time, adding, “right now Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”
Mette Frederiksen is the Prime Minister of Denmark (Image: Getty)
Europe quickly pulled together and brought forward an already planned strategy to send Danish and European soldiers to Greenland. Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq soon welcomed troops from Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and France.
The Danish soldiers are said to have carried ammunition while being prepared to engage in combat. There were also heavily armed F-35 fighter jets that were moved north, in case the U.S. did attempt to invade.
Terrifyingly, the Danish defense source told DR, “We have not been in such a situation since April 1940.”
While Trump’s focus appears to remain on Iran for the time being, according to a report by Bloomberg this week, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Trump still wants to acquire Greenland. The president may have backed down on taking the country by force, but he is still hoping for “immediate negotiations”.