Trump says US must acquire Greenland to block Russia, China threats

President Donald Trump said the United States should buy Greenland, not lease it, arguing that the Arctic region lacks defence, and warned that Russia or China would enter the region if Washington did not act; He said that this move is critical for US and NATO security.

While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, Trump was asked about Greenland and whether the United States had made an offer to take the territory from Denmark.

“I didn’t do that. Greenland should make the deal because Greenland doesn’t want Russia or China to take over,” he said. “Basically their defense is two dog sleds. Do you know that? Do you know what their defense is? Two dog sleds.

“Meanwhile, there are Russian destroyers and submarines, and there are Chinese destroyers and submarines everywhere,” Trump continued. “We’re not going to let that happen, and if it affects NATO, then it affects NATO. But you know, they need us more than we need them, let me tell you that right away.”

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The president also made clear that his administration was not talking about leasing Greenland in the short term, but only about seizing Danish territory.

“If we don’t do it, Russia or China will, and it won’t happen when I’m president,” Trump said.

The remarks follow renewed opposition from Greenland’s leadership, which has rejected calls from Trump and members of his administration for the United States to take control of the island.

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On March 8, 2025, the water in Greenland’s Ilulissat harbor was covered with ice. (Joe Raedle/Getty)

Several Trump administration officials echoed the president’s stance, arguing that Greenland’s strategic location makes U.S. control a national security imperative.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and four party leaders said Friday night that the island is not interested in becoming part of the United States or Denmark, according to the Associated Press.

Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory and long-time U.S. ally, has repeatedly rejected Trump’s overtures that the United States take the island.

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President Donald Trump reignited discussions about the US purchase of Greenland, saying he hoped to make a deal but that the US would take action “whether it likes it or not”. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

“We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” said the leaders, adding that Greenland’s “future should be decided by the Greenlandic people.”

Washington’s rhetoric towards the island was also criticized in the statement. “As Greenlandic party leaders, we would like to emphasize once again our wishes for an end to the US’s humiliation of our country,” the statement said.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned last week that Trump’s annexation comments could threaten NATO itself, saying any US military action against a NATO ally would effectively end the alliance and the security framework that has existed since World War II.

“If the US chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, everything stops,” Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV2.

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Nielsen underlined this position in a Facebook post the same day, writing that Greenland “is not the object of superpower rhetoric.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.