US president says he may have to ‘choose’ between seizing Greenland and the Western alliance
Donald Trump addressing a Republican event (Image: Getty)
Donald Trump has issued a blunt warning that he could choose to end support for the NATO military alliance as he insisted the US “needed” to own Greenland. The US president said “it may be a choice” between preserving the alliance and seizing the territory, owned by NATO member Denmark.
He went on to stress that he was serious about plans to possess the island, saying: “That’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do, whether you’re talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document.”
The US already has a military base in Greenland and is entitled to expand its presence there under a 1951 agreement, but Mr Trump has insisted America must own the island outright for “national protection”.
US officials have suggested Greenland may be next after last week’s military action in Venezuela.
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that a US invasion of Greenland would mean the end of NATO, the military alliance founded in 1949 by the US, Canada and European nations, including the UK.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer tried to reassure the president that European nations are prepared to defend Greenland and the surrounding area, known as the High North, from hostile nations such as Russia.
Downing Street said that in a phone call on Thursday evening, Sir Keir told the president: “European allies had stepped up in recent months to defend Euro-Atlantic interests, but more could be done to protect the area.”
But Mr Trump’s comments in an interview with The New York Times suggest the comments fell on deaf ears.
Referring to NATO members in Europe, Mr Trump said: “I want them to shape up. I think we’ll always get along with Europe, but I want them to shape up.
“I’m the one that got them to spend more on the, you know, more GDP on NATO. But if you look at NATO, Russia, I can tell you, is not at all concerned with any other country but us.”
He told the newspaper: “I’ve been very loyal to Europe. I’ve done a good job. If it weren’t for me, Russia would have all of Ukraine right now.”
Earlier this week, the UK and European allies pledged they would “not stop defending” Greenland’s territorial integrity in a joint statement seen as a message to the US.
Denmark’s ambassador, Jesper Moller Sorensen, and Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland’s chief representative to Washington, met White House National Security Council officials to discuss Greenland. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet Danish officials next week.
