Denmark Warns U.S.: Greenland Cannot Be Taken by Force

Denmark has issued a stern warning to the United States over President Donald Trump’s repeated claims about Greenland, emphasizing that any attempt to seize the Arctic territory by force would destroy decades of transatlantic security cooperation. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called Washington’s threats “absurd” and said that attacking a NATO ally would mean the end of post-World War II security arrangements.

Greenland’s own leadership has also pushed back. Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the territory’s Prime Minister, and Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic representative in the Danish parliament, accused Trump of spreading misinformation about Chinese and Russian warships in the region. Chemnitz urged Greenlanders to take U.S. rhetoric seriously and prepare for potential political fallout.

The controversy has drawn broad international support for Denmark. European Union officials reiterated their commitment to defending the territorial integrity of member nations, while leaders from the UK, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and France emphasized that only Greenland and Denmark can decide the island’s future and that borders cannot be changed by force.

The tension escalated after former Trump aide Katie Miller posted a graphic of Greenland in U.S. flag colors with the caption “SOON.” Nielsen called the post “disrespectful,” while Stephen Miller, Katie’s husband and a top Trump adviser, suggested the U.S. should consider Greenland part of the United States but downplayed the possibility of military conflict, saying, “Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.”

Meanwhile, Beijing weighed in, urging Washington to stop using the so-called “China threat” as an excuse for strategic gains, reflecting broader international concern over the Arctic’s rising geopolitical significance. As Greenland sits on crucial polar routes and harbors untapped mineral wealth, the world watches closely, emphasizing diplomacy and respect for international law over threats of force.