The White House has warned that it is considering using the military to seize Greenland<\/a>, as European leaders rally against renewed threats by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief’s disposal,\u201d the White House said. <\/p>\n European leaders issued a statement on Tuesday declaring that \u201cit is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland\u201d.<\/p>\n But Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s latest threats also raises questions around whether other Nato countries would come to Greenland\u2019s defence if the US were to attempt a military seizure. The former national security adviser in the US, John Bolton, has warned that the alliance could be in \u201cgrave jeopardy\u201d. <\/p>\n Elsewhere, Trump has announced that Venezuela<\/a> is \u201cturning over\u201d millions of barrels of oil <\/a>following the US operation to depose and capture former president Nicolas Maduro. <\/p>\n The president said the oil will be sold, and he will control the money from the sale \u201cto ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>Nato alliance could be in ‘grave jeopardy’ over Greenland, says former US national security adviser<\/p>\n The Nato alliance could be in \u201cgrave jeopardy\u201d if a conversation around the US seizure of Greenland continues, the US\u2019 former national security adviser has said. <\/p>\n \u201cOf course nobody\u2019s going to fight us over it, but it doesn\u2019t mean we should take territory from a treaty ally,\u201d John Bolton told CNN\u2019s News Central. <\/p>\n \u201cAnd if we do that or if, frankly, this conversation goes on much longer, I think the NATO alliance is in grave jeopardy. This is a self-inflicted wound by the Trump administration. It harms American security. It does not enhance it by this kind of talk about Greenland.\u201d <\/p>\n Also speaking on the show was Democrat senator Jeanne Shaheen, who said she does not \u201cbelieve [the threat] is serious\u201d because it would involve undermining Nato. <\/p>\n \u201cThat would be crazy if the president tries to take Greenland,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re happy to partner with us. I mean to create this kind of antagonism with one of our best allies, which is Denmark… to create that kind of distrust just is undermining to our own national security here in America.\u201d<\/p>\n Alex Croft7 January 2026 07:53<\/p>\n <\/a>Watch: Trump says the US ‘needs’ Greenland for national securityTrump says the US ‘needs’ Greenland for national security<\/p>\n Alex Croft7 January 2026 07:50<\/p>\n <\/a>European leaders rally behind Greenland and Denmark<\/p>\n European leaders have rallied together against US threats to takeover Greenland, declaring on Tuesday that \u201cit is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland\u201d. <\/p>\n A joint statement issued by British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, France\u2019s Emmanuel Macron, Germany\u2019s Friedrich Merz, Italy\u2019s Giorgia Meloni, Poland\u2019s Donald Tusk, Spain\u2019s Pedro Sanchez and Denmark\u2019s Mette Frederiksen, declared that Greenland \u201cbelongs to its people\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cArctic security remains a key priority for Europe and it is critical for international and transatlantic security,\u201d it said. <\/p>\n The US is an \u201cessential partner\u201d in the endeavour to keep the Arctic safe, as an ally in the Nato alliance. <\/p>\n But the statement was met with one from the White House which declared that Donald Trump is looking at a \u201crange of options\u201d to acquire Greenland. <\/p>\n Alex Croft7 January 2026 07:44<\/p>\n <\/a>White House considers using military in Greenland takeover<\/p>\n The White House was clear on Tuesday that it is ready to use the military to achieve a takeover of Greenland. <\/p>\n “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the Commander-in-Chief’s disposal,\u201d it said in a statement. <\/p>\n It is an unprecedented threat to use military force against a territory which belongs to a Nato country – Denmark. <\/p>\n It also raises questions around whether other Nato countries would come to Greenland\u2019s defence if the US were to attempt a military seizure, which is one of the alliance\u2019s defining principles. <\/p>\n Alex Croft7 January 2026 07:38<\/p>\n <\/a>In pictures: Protests erupt after U.S. military operation in Venezuela<\/p>\n From Seoul to California to Caracas, protests erupted across continents following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela.<\/p>\n Demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. embassy in South Korea and on the streets of Pasadena, calling for an end to military action, accountability from president Donald Trump and a turn towards diplomacy. <\/p>\n In Caracas, supporters of ousted President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, rallied in defiance, chanting slogans and denouncing what they described as foreign aggression. <\/p>\n Shweta Sharma7 January 2026 07:27<\/p>\n <\/a>US adds more nations, including Venezuela, to costly visa bond policy<\/p>\n President Donald Trump’s administration has put 25 more countries on a list of nations whose citizens could be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for entry into the U.S., the State Department website showed on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The list mostly included countries from Africa, Latin America and South Asia. It had a total of 38 countries as of Tuesday. The policy for the newly added nations will go into effect 21 January, the State Department website said.<\/p>\n Venezuela, whose toppled leader Nicolas Maduro was seized by U.S. forces over the weekend and brought to New York, was also included in the list.<\/p>\n “Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1\/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000,” the State Department website said, adding the amount was determined at the time of the visa interview.<\/p>\n Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the U.S. Treasury Department’s online payment platform, Pay.gov, the State Department said.<\/p>\n The U.S. government has said the bonds seek to deter visitors from overstaying their visas intended for tourism or business purposes.<\/p>\n Since taking office last January, Trump, a Republican, has pursued a hard-line immigration policy, involving an aggressive deportation drive, revocations of visas and green cards and screening of social media posts and past speeches of immigrants.<\/p>\n Human rights groups have widely condemned Trump’s immigration and travel-related policies, saying they curb due process guarantees and free speech. <\/p>\n Trump and his allies say the policies seek to improve domestic security.<\/p>\n Shweta Sharma7 January 2026 07:15<\/p>\n <\/a>White House discussing ‘range of options’ for acquiring Greenland, Leavitt says<\/p>\n White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump administration officials are discussing a wide range of options for acquiring Greenland, including using the US military to take it by force.<\/p>\n She said discussions include purchasing the territory from Denmark or establishing a compact of free association. <\/p>\n “President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” Leavitt said. <\/p>\n “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.” <\/p>\n Trump wants the issue resolved before the end of his term. <\/p>\n The Danish Embassy in Washington is yet to comment on the matter.<\/p>\n Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has again become a flashpoint after White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said it was the formal position of the US government that Greenland should become part of the United States.<\/p>\n Trump reiterated over the weekend that the US \u201cneeds\u201d the territory.<\/p>\n Denmark has firmly rejected the idea, warning that any US military move against Greenland would effectively end NATO.<\/p>\n “If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops,” prime minister Mette Frederiksen told local media on Monday. <\/p>\n “That is, including our NATO, and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.”<\/p>\n Shweta Sharma7 January 2026 06:50<\/p>\n <\/a>Trump’s Venezuela operation puts Starmer in ‘awkward’ position \u2013 expert<\/p>\n With the dramatic US military capture of Venezuelan president Nicol\u00e1s Maduro earlier this week, global attention has shifted to how allies respond \u2013 not least the UK under prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.<\/p>\n Dr Dafydd Townley, an expert from the University of Portsmouth’s Military Education Team, said the method in which the US operation was conducted has divided America’s allies, with its harshest critics calling it totally against international law.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has placed Sir Keir Starmer in an awkward position. He must keep on the good side of Donald Trump, as he is acutely aware, but his failure to condemn the act has drawn criticism,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The UK government has not condemned the US raid outright, as the British prime minister attempts to walk a fine line between defending international law and keeping the US president on side.<\/p>\n He has said he wanted to \u201cestablish the facts\u201d before passing judgment on whether Trump broke international law with the attack on Caracas while insisting the UK was not involved in the operation.<\/p>\n However, some of America\u2019s closest allies strongly criticized the US military raid that captured Venezuela\u2019s leader, raising objections at an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting.<\/p>\n They argued that the operation violated international law and the U.N. Charter.<\/p>\n At the meeting, countries including France, Denmark, Russia and China demanded Maduro\u2019s release.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere does Trump turn next? Greenland, Cuba, and Columbia have all been touted as potentially receiving the same treatment as Venezuela. Is this yet more of the foundations of the international order being pulled down? Not quite, but this presidency is proving to be contentious and consequential,\u201d Dr Townley said. <\/p>\n Shweta Sharma7 January 2026 06:30<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FILES-US-POLITICS-JUSTICE-BOLTON-negjxr0p.jpeg\")
Former national security adviser John Bolton, left, says Nato could be in grave jeopardy (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/South-Korea-US-Venezuela-7vqioo6i.jpeg\")
Protesters hold signs denouncing the U.S. military operation against Venezuela, near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday (AP)![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/US-Venezuela-g0vvcrmo.jpeg\")
A participant holds a protest sign at a rally outside of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts demanding end to U.S. intervention in Venezuela (AP)![\"Activists](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/US-VENEZUELA-CONFLICT-DEMONSTRATION-l009sz5x.jpeg\")
Activists gather to protest against US President Donald Trump’s recent action in Venezuela on January 6, 2026 in Pasadena, California, calling on Congress for an immediate end to military action, accountability for President Trump’s actions and diplomacy over war (AFP via Getty Images)![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/VENEZUELA-US-CONFLICT-CRISIS-oqqqghgv.jpeg\")
A woman shouts slogans during a rally in support of ousted Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas (AFP via Getty Images)![\"Government](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Government-supporters-participate-in-a-womens-march-in-Caracas-kooaccxk.jpeg\")
Government supporters participate in a women’s march, in Caracas (REUTERS)<\/p>\n