This Tuesday the White House said that US President Donald Trump and his team are discussing options to acquire Greenland and using the US military "is always an option" to achieve that goal. His comment comes after the support that several European leaders gave to Greenland and Denmark. The Trump administration insists that said territory is necessary for its national security.

First modification: 01/06/2026 - 19:16Last modification: 01/06/2026 - 19:19

"President Trump has made clear that the acquisition of Greenland is a national security priority for the United States and is vital to deterring our adversaries in the Arctic region."

This is the statement that the White House issued this Tuesday in a statement, in response to several questions asked by the Reuters news agency.

"The president and his team are analyzing various options to achieve this important foreign policy objective and, of course, turning to the US military is always an option available to the commander in chief," the document states.

European support

Earlier, six European countries issued their support for Denmark's territorial sovereignty over Greenland.

This Tuesday, January 6, the leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom signed a joint statement that underlines the importance of the Arctic within the framework of the security strategy of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Likewise, European leaders stressed that Greenland is a territory that is covered under NATO, as a consequence of being an autonomous territory, which is part of Denmark.

In addition, the document points out that the United States is an “essential partner” in these efforts, having signed a bilateral defense agreement, which is in force with the Kingdom of Denmark, in 1951.

A key point is found towards the end of the document, where European countries emphasize that Greenland is a sovereign territory, whose destiny is in the hands of its citizens.

"Greenland belongs to its people. It is up to Denmark and Greenland, and only them, to decide on matters that concern them," the text reads.

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For his part, the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, stated his position on the issue, emphasizing that “the future of Greenland is a decision that corresponds exclusively to the people of Greenland and Denmark.”

In turn, in the face of tensions, the foreign ministers of the Nordic countries issued a joint statement in which they committed to increasing their defense investments in the Arctic and made it clear that the sovereignty of Greenland corresponds solely to its inhabitants and Denmark.

The details from the six European countries come after over the last few days, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and some people close to his cabinet have once again put on the table the possibility of the island located in the Arctic becoming part of the North American power.

A statement that arouses greater concern after the US invaded Venezuela on January 3, captured its president, accused of drug trafficking, and subsequently indicated that it will control the Latin American country, after actions that violate international law.

“We need Greenland from the point of view of national security,” the Republican leader declared to the press last Sunday, January 4. Also, in these statements Trump asserted that he would be talking about the issue in depth “in 20 days.”

The controversy also grows after the wife of the White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, one of the president's closest advisors, published on her X account a photo of the map of Greenland with the American flag.

Denmark and Greenland stand up to the possible ambitions of the White House

Contrary to Trump's statements, both the Danish and Greenlandic authorities have made it clear that they have no intention of giving up their territorial sovereignty.

The president of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, publicly thanked this Tuesday the declaration signed by the leaders of the six European countries in defense of the sovereignty of the Danish autonomous territory.

"These heads of government have today sent a joint statement that unequivocally supports Greenland and our common territorial integrity. This support is important in a situation where fundamental international principles are being questioned," Nielsen wrote on his account on the social network Facebook.

Furthermore, in his statement, the political head of the island of more than two million square kilometers, once again urged the Washington Government to build consensus through dialogue.

“Once again, I urge the United States to pursue respectful dialogue through the correct diplomatic and political channels and using pre-existing forums that build on agreements already in place with the United States,” Nielsen said.

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For her part, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, assured this Monday that her Government takes seriously the insinuations of Trump and his associates.

This is how the head of Government in Copenhagen warned that a possible US military operation in Greenland would weaken the internal cohesion of NATO, a treaty of which the northern European country is a part.

“If a NATO country attacks another NATO country, everything will be over, including our NATO and, consequently, the security it has provided since the end of World War II,” Frederiksen said.

Likewise, the Danish ambassador to the United Nations, Christina Markus Lassen, said within the framework of a UN conference on the situation in Venezuela that “the inviolability of borders is not negotiable.”

Greenland: strategic point of the Arctic

For several centuries, Greenland was a colony of Denmark, becoming an integral part of the country in 1953.

Subsequently, in 2009 changes in legislation gave the Greenlandic population more political independence from the Copenhagen Executive.

Regarding bilateral relations between Denmark and the United States regarding Greenland, Washington recognized that the island was part of the Scandinavian nation at the beginning of the 20th century.

By 1951, both countries signed a defense agreement, which stipulated the creation of the remote Pituffik base in northwest Greenland, an installation where American troops support NATO missile warning, anti-missile defense and space surveillance operations.

According to scientific research, the island of more than two thousand square kilometers has large deposits of rare earth minerals. In addition to this, the United States Geological Survey has also identified possible marine oil and natural gas deposits in the vicinity of Greenlandic territory.

With EFE, Reuters and AP

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