‘Shoot First, Ask Questions Later’: Denmark Warns Of Military Response After Trump’s Greenland Takeover Remarks | World News

Days after US President Donald Trump said the US would seize Greenland “one way or another”, the Danish Ministry of Defense said its soldiers would have to shoot first and ask questions later if the US invaded the island.

The Danish Ministry of Defense later announced that existing orders regarding military preparedness remained in force. These orders are valid in times of attacks on the country or in times of war.

“The order on precautionary measures for military defense in case of attack on the country and during war remains in force,” the ministry said.

These remarks came after Trump ignored international law when discussing NATO, Greenland and global power in an interview with The New York Times. Asked if there were any limits to his authority, Trump said only his own judgment could restrain him.

“Yes, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. That’s the only thing that can stop me. I don’t need international law,” he said, adding, “I don’t want to hurt people.”

“I do,” Trump said when asked whether his administration must comply with international law. The report stated that Trump stated that he would decide when such rules would be applied to the United States. “It depends on what your definition of international law is,” he said.

Greenland does not have its own army, and Denmark maintains only a limited military presence on the island. However, any military action by the United States would trigger NATO’s Article 5, which considers an attack on one member an attack on all members, potentially leading to the collapse of the alliance.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that an invasion of Greenland would mark “the end of NATO” and undermine the post-war global order.

US Vice President J.D. Vance, meanwhile, called on European leaders to “take the US president seriously” on Greenland. He said the island was vital to global security and warned that the United States could take action if its allies failed to find a solution to what he described as growing interest from “hostile adversaries.”

Greenland is a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Its location in the Arctic makes it strategically important for defense and early warning systems in the North Atlantic.

The United States has maintained a military presence there for decades, including at the Pituffik Cosmodrome, formerly known as Thule Air Base, which is key to missile warning and space surveillance.