President Donald Trump has made acquiring Greenland a U.S. national security priority and is considering a range of options, including potential military action, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
In a statement to Scripps News, Leavitt said Trump and his team view control of Greenland as vital to U.S. security interests in the region and are actively discussing how to pursue that goal.
Those remarks come as the leaders of seven European nations issued a unified message on the future of Greenland following Trump’s suggestion that the United States could assume control of the autonomous territory.
In a joint statement issued on behalf of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Denmark, the leaders said "Greenland belongs to its people" and stressed NATO cooperation regarding any decisions about security of the island, which is a territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
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"NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up," the statement reads. "We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries. The Kingdom of Denmark - including Greenland - is part of NATO."
"Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders," the leaders added. "These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them."
The statement comes a day after Trump said the U.S. needs Greenland for national security purposes, citing foreign military activity near the Arctic territory.
"It’s so strategic,” Trump said. “Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it. I can guarantee you.”
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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told local media she believes President Trump is serious about wanting Greenland. She also warned that any U.S. attack on another NATO member would effectively end the alliance.
President Trump’s critics have also argued that his rhetoric undermines U.S. credibility on the global stage, particularly when condemning Russia for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine or criticizing China over its ambitions toward Taiwan.
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