Trump says NATO must back US bid to ‘put Greenland in the hands of the US’, warns ‘anything less is unacceptable’ and mocks island’s ‘two dogsleds’ defence again

Donald Trump said NATO should support Washington’s goal of “leaving Greenland in the hands of the United States” to strengthen the alliance, warning that “nothing less is acceptable.”

The US President wrote on the Truth Social platform on Wednesday: ‘USA needs Greenland for National Security purposes. It is vital to the Golden Dome we are building.

‘NATO must lead us to achieve this. IF WE DON’T DO IT, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL AND THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN!’

‘Militarily, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent – not even close!’

‘They know this, and so do I. NATO becomes much stronger and more effective with Greenland in US hands. Anything less than that is unacceptable.’

This comes after Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Tuesday that Greenland would choose to remain Danish over a US takeover, ahead of White House talks on the future of the Arctic island that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened.

Trump has been talking about the idea of ​​buying or annexing the autonomous region for years, and this week he further ratcheted up tensions by saying the US would address the issue “one way or another.”

The US president later reiterated his previous disparaging comment about Greenland’s defense in a subsequent post on Truth Social, saying the defense consisted of “two dog sleds”.

“We are currently facing a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we will choose Denmark,” Nielsen said at a press conference.

On Wednesday, on the Truth Social platform, the US President wrote that NATO should support Washington’s goal of ‘putting Greenland in US hands’.

Trump has been talking about the idea of ​​buying or annexing the autonomous region for years, and this week he further ratcheted up tensions by saying the US would address the issue “one way or another.”

‘One thing needs to be clear to everyone: Greenland does not want to be US possession. Greenland does not want to be governed by the USA. ‘Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.’

His comments came ahead of a meeting at the White House today where Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt will meet US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the island’s future.

Residents of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, told the international media that the island was not for sale and that attention was focused on Washington’s attitude towards the region.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen was speaking alongside Danish leader Mette Frederiksen and said it was not easy for her to resist ‘absolutely unacceptable pressure from our closest ally’.

“But there are many indications that the toughest part awaits us,” Frederiksen said.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt will meet with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday to discuss Greenland’s future.

Greenland’s leader said Tuesday he would choose to remain Danish if Greenland were taken over by the United States, ahead of White House talks on the future of the Arctic island that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened. Image: Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen

Jens-Frederik Nielsen was speaking alongside Danish leader Mette Frederiksen and said it was not easy for her to resist ‘absolutely unacceptable pressure from our closest ally’.

Lokke said that they requested a meeting with Rubio, and Vance wanted to be in the White House and host the meeting.

Vance made an uninvited visit to the island in March, criticizing Denmark for its lack of commitment to Greenland and lack of security in the Arctic, calling it a ‘bad ally’.

The comments angered Copenhagen, which is an ardent supporter of transatlanticism and has sent troops to the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For Nuuk and Copenhagen, the meeting held at the White House on Wednesday aims to clear up ‘misunderstandings’.

These concern the defense of Greenland, the Chinese and Russian military presence in the Arctic, and the relations between Greenland and Copenhagen, which together with the Faroe Islands form the Kingdom of Denmark.

“To the uninformed American listener, the ongoing (independence) talks between Denmark and Greenland could have been interpreted as if Greenland’s separation from Denmark was imminent,” said Greenland expert Mikaela Engell.

‘I can understand that in this case it would be better for the Americans to capture this strategic location,’ the former Danish representative on the island told AFP.

However, he emphasized that this ‘debate has been going on for years and this has never meant that Greenland is out the door’.

Denmark’s foreign minister said the reason Copenhagen and Nuuk wanted Wednesday’s meeting was to ‘move the whole discussion into a meeting room where you can look each other in the eye and talk about these issues’.

Greenland’s location is extremely strategic and lies on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States. Therefore, it is a very important part of the US anti-missile shield.

Greenland’s location is extremely strategic and lies on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States.

Copenhagen will ‘strengthen’ its military footprint on the island and engage in dialogue with its NATO allies, Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen (right) said on Wednesday

Washington accused Copenhagen of doing too little to protect Greenland from what it perceived as a growing Arctic threat from Russia and China; however, analysts suggest that Beijing is a minor player in the region.

Denmark denied these claims and said it was increasing its military presence in the Arctic.

Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen, who has been criticized by the US for neglecting the defense of Greenland, said on Wednesday that Copenhagen would ‘strengthen’ its military footprint on the island and was in dialogue with its NATO allies.

“We will continue to strengthen our military presence in Greenland, but we will also focus more on more exercises within NATO and increasing the NATO presence in the Arctic,” Poulsen said hours before the White House talks.

He added that Denmark ‘has an ongoing dialogue with its Allies regarding new and increased activities in 2026’.

Frederiksen called for stronger cooperation with the US and NATO to support the security of the Arctic, arguing that collective security guarantees would be the ‘best defense against Chinese or Russian threats’.

Diplomats at NATO say some Alliance members have floated the idea of ​​launching a new mission in the region, but no concrete proposals are on the table yet.

Rutte said on Monday that NATO was working on ‘next steps’ to strengthen Arctic security.

Greenlandic foreign minister and Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen will meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on January 19 to discuss the issue.

‘We are now advancing the issue of a more permanent, broader presence of Danish defense forces in Greenland and also the involvement of other countries,’ Lund Poulsen told reporters.