Europe Weighs Response to US Pressure on Greenland

Nathalie Tocci, Professor of Practice at John Hopkins SAIS Europe, discusses US-European tensions over Greenland and Europe’s path toward geopolitical autonomy.

US President Donald Trump repeated his demand for the US to take control of Greenland for national security reasons before a meeting of top diplomats in Washington and called on NATO to support his efforts.

“NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” the president said in a social media post Wednesday. “Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent - Not even close! They know that, and so do I.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his counterpart from Nuuk, Vivian Motzfeldt, will meet with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an effort to convince the US administration that there’s no need to take over the Arctic island - a semi-autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark. The meeting, scheduled to begin at 10:30 Eastern Time, is being cast in Danish media as one of the most decisive moments for the Kingdom since World War II.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen on Wednesday announced plans to beef up his country’s military presence in the far North but in a follow up post, Trump poured scorn on the idea that the Danish military would be able to deter the Russia and China from operating off the coast of Greenland as the Arctic takes on increasing geopolitical importance.

“NATO: Tell Denmark to get them out of here, NOW! Two dogsleds won’t do it! Only the USA can!!!” Trump said. The president also underlined that Greenland is vital to his plans for a so-called Golden Dome to defend the US from missile attacks.

Ahead of the meeting in Washington, Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, threw his weight behind the current union, categorically ruling out joining the US and said that if made to choose, the territory would opt for Denmark.

Trump has declined to rule out the use of military force to get the world’s biggest island although Rubio has argued that the goal is to buy Greenland. The Danes have said it’s not theirs to sell, and Greenlanders insist that there’s no amount of money that could buy their “national soul.”

For the Danes, Vance’s role hosting Wednesday’s meeting alongside Rubio raises concerns. While Rubio is known to be more conciliatory in private despite embracing Trump’s aggressive approach in public, the vice president shares his boss’s penchant for disruptive and unpredictable dealmaking.

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