Despite President Trump’s campaign to acquire Greenland, the United States already maintains significant military access to the Arctic territory through an existing base that serves critical strategic functions. This reality has prompted confusion among Danish citizens and officials about why Trump would seek forcible annexation of territory where America already operates freely, particularly given the diplomatic cost of threatening a NATO ally.
Greenland hosts an American military installation positioned on the shortest missile route between Russia and the United States, providing Washington with vital defensive and monitoring capabilities in the Arctic region. Denmark’s ambassador to Washington, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, emphasized existing cooperation on Arctic security and urged continued alliance partnership. Copenhagen resident Christian Harpsoe, 46, noted this reality, stating “He has all the access he wants for the troops” and expressing bewilderment at Trump’s aggressive rhetoric.
Trump has argued that national security imperatives require American control because Denmark cannot adequately protect Greenland from Russian and Chinese threats. However, critics note that the existing base arrangement already provides the United States with necessary strategic access without requiring annexation. Additionally, Greenland’s parliamentary representative accused Trump of “spreading lies about Chinese and Russian warships,” challenging the foundation of his security justification.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that any US military action against Greenland would completely destroy NATO and eighty years of transatlantic security cooperation. Her unprecedented ultimatum came after Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela, where American forces seized President Nicolas Maduro and announced indefinite US control. The Venezuelan operation has intensified European concerns that Trump might employ similar tactics against Greenland despite existing cooperative arrangements.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen publicly demanded Trump cease his pressure campaign and respect international law, while maintaining openness to dialogue through proper diplomatic channels. European nations have unified in support of Denmark, with the EU, Britain, France, and Nordic countries all affirming that only Greenland and Denmark could determine the territory’s future. The crisis escalated when Katie Miller, wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, posted imagery depicting Greenland in American flag colors, which Nielsen condemned as disrespectful to existing alliance relationships and cooperative security arrangements.
