Denmark is drawing sharp lines with the United States over President Donald Trump’s drive to bring Greenland under American control, turning the Arctic island into a major test of Washington’s relationship with a key NATO ally.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, but the latest US push to expand its authority over the Arctic region has triggered diplomatic alarm in Copenhagen and Nuuk, as well as among European partners watching America’s strategy in the High North.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the US “needs” Greenland for national security, portraying American control of the Arctic territory as essential to counter Russia and China and to secure US defence assets in the North Atlantic. Denmark and Greenland accept that the US has clear strategic interests in the Arctic, including at the Pituffik Space Base, but insist that any change in the island’s status must respect Danish sovereignty, Greenland’s self-rule and NATO’s legal framework.
Trump intensified his long-running campaign for US control of Denmark’s Arctic territory on Saturday by threatening to put new tariffs on several European nations unless a deal is reached for the acquisition of Greenland.
He said “any and all goods” from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland will be subject to a 10 percent tax beginning on Feb 1 and rising to 25 percent on June 1 until an agreement is reached.
“We have subsidized Denmark, and all of the Countries of the European Union, and others, for many years by not charging them Tariffs, or any other forms of remuneration. Now, after Centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back — World Peace is at stake!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social post.
The Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen has warned that an outright US takeover of Greenland would effectively spell the end of the NATO alliance, framing Trump’s rhetoric as incompatible with the principles that have governed transatlantic security since the Cold War. Officials in Copenhagen say that while Denmark is ready to update its defense cooperation with the US in the Arctic, it will not negotiate away control over Greenland or accept moves that look like forced annexation of the autonomous territory.
Greenlandic leaders, who manage most domestic affairs on the island while Denmark handles foreign and security policy, have also rejected the idea of US ownership, calling instead for balanced cooperation with both Copenhagen and Washington. They argue that any expansion of the American military footprint in Greenland must benefit local communities and respect the island’s path toward greater self-government, rather than turning it into a bargaining chip in US domestic politics or great-power rivalry in the Arctic.
Trump’s renewed campaign for Greenland has revived memories of his earlier attempt in 2019 to buy the island from Denmark, a proposal Frederiksen at the time dismissed as “absurd.” Since returning to the White House, Trump has hardened his stance, hinting that the US could use tariffs or other economic pressure on countries that fail to support American claims over Greenland and suggesting that US patience on Arctic security is running out.
Danish and Greenlandic officials have held a series of meetings in Washington with senior US figures, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aiming to calm tensions and keep the focus on cooperation rather than confrontation in the Arctic. Those talks produced a working group to address US security concerns in Greenland, but diplomats say the gap remains wide between Trump’s language about American control and Denmark’s determination to protect its sovereignty and NATO’s credibility.
As the dispute over Greenland intensifies, European allies are watching closely, worried that a US push to override Danish and Greenlandic opposition would set a precedent for how Washington deals with smaller NATO partners. For Denmark, the stakes are unusually high: it must balance its role as host to critical US defense infrastructure in the Arctic with mounting domestic and Greenlandic resistance to any move that looks like the US trying to redraw the map of the North Atlantic.