Denmark PM vows to defend Greenland after Trump renews threats
Birds fly over houses in the shadow of a mountain in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 10, 2026.
Florent Vergnes | Afp | Getty Images
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday responded harshly to President Donald Trump’s latest push for the United States to take control of Greenland, saying the Scandinavian country is ready to defend “every inch” of its territory.
Speaking to journalists on the second day of the NATO summit held in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, Danish Frederiksen underlined the message that Greenland is not for sale.
His comments came shortly after the US president reiterated his threat to seize self-governing Danish territory and suggested the US could withdraw its troops from Europe in response to the region’s ongoing pressure on the issue.
“Our position is clear as always. Greenland is of course not for sale,” Frederiksen said. he said. “We hope that everyone, including all our allies, will respect the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination, and we are a sovereign state and we need everyone to respect our territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
Asked by CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick whether Denmark was prepared to defend Greenland militarily in the event of an attack, Frederiksen replied: “We are ready to defend every square inch of NATO, including our own territory.”
He added: “One of the reasons we founded NATO many years ago is that if something were to happen to one of us, everyone should support each other.”
During a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, Trump said Europe’s refusal to comply with his expansionist desire was “what hurts my relationship with NATO.”
Trump said Greenland should be controlled by the United States, not Denmark. “And when they don’t comply, for all the money we spent helping them with Russia, we don’t have to spend any money.”
The US president also suggested the country could “get all our troops out of Europe”, adding: “Because, as you’ve probably noticed, Europe is a very different place than it was 20 years ago.”
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