US Weighs Military Option to Take Greenland, White House Says
The US weighs military intervention and purchase plans for Greenland as Europe pushes back, raising fears over NATO unity and Arctic security.
The White House has said that US President Donald Trump is discussing "a range of options" for acquiring Greenland, including the use of military force.
The White House told that acquiring Greenland – a semi-autonomous territory of NATO member Denmark – is a "national security priority."
The statement came hours after European leaders issued a joint statement in support of Denmark, which is opposing Trump's ambitions for the Arctic island.
Trump reiterated over the weekend that the US "needs" Greenland for security reasons, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to warn that any US aggression would lead to the end of NATO.
The White House said on Tuesday: "The President and his team are discussing a range of options to achieve this important foreign policy objective, and of course, the use of the US military is always an option available to the Commander-in-Chief."
NATO is a transatlantic military alliance where member states are expected to come to each other's aid in the event of an external attack.
On Tuesday, six European allies expressed their support for Denmark.
The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark said in a joint statement: "Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters relating to their relationship."
Emphasizing that they are just as concerned about Arctic security as the US, the European countries that signed the joint statement said this should be achieved "collectively" by NATO allies, including the US.
They also called for "upholding the principles of the UN Charter," which include sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the statement and called for "respectful dialogue." Nielsen said, "The conversation must be conducted with respect for the fact that Greenland's status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity."
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The issue of Greenland's future resurfaced after a US military intervention in Venezuela, during which elite soldiers attempted to capture the country's president, Nicolás Maduro, and bring him to New York to face drug and weapons charges.
The day after that raid, Katie Miller—the wife of a senior Trump aide—posted a map of Greenland in the colors of the American flag on social media, accompanied by the word "SOON." On Monday, her husband, Stephen Miller, said it was "the formal position of the American government that Greenland should be part of the United States."
When repeatedly asked in an interview whether the US would rule out using force to annex it, Miller replied: "Nobody is going to fight the United States over the future of Greenland."
According to the Wall Street Journal, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers in a classified briefing on Capitol Hill on Monday that the Trump administration was not planning to invade Greenland, but rather wanted to buy the island from Denmark.
An unnamed senior US official told agency that US options included a full purchase of Greenland or a free association agreement with the territory.
Earlier, Greenland and Denmark said they had requested a meeting with Pompeo soon to discuss the US claims on the island.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that speaking with the top US diplomat would clear up "some misunderstandings."
Republican Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri, speaking to the BBC on Tuesday about Greenland, emphasized the national security aspect.
"I think they're in negotiations right now," he said. "I hope Europe understands that a strong America is good—it's good for Western civilization." During his first presidential term, Trump floated the idea of acquiring Greenland as a strategic American outpost in the Arctic, saying in 2019: "Essentially, it's a large real estate deal."
Russia and China have shown increasing interest in the island, which holds untapped reserves of rare earth minerals, as melting ice opens up the possibility of new trade routes.
In March, Trump said the US would "go as far as we have to go" to gain control of the territory.
During a congressional hearing last summer, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked if the Pentagon had plans to seize Greenland by force if necessary, and he said they had "plans for any contingency."
Greenland, with a population of 57,000, has enjoyed broad self-governance since 1979, although defense and foreign policy remain in Danish hands.
While most Greenlanders favor eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the United States, which already has a military base on the island. Morgan Angaju, a 27-year-old Inuit living in Ilulissat on the country's west coast, said it was "humiliating to hear the leader of the free world laughing at Denmark and Greenland and talking about us like we're some kind of object."
Morgan said, "The people of Greenland have already laid claim to it. Kalaallit Nunaat means 'the land of the Greenlandic people.'"
He added that he is worried about what will happen next – he fears that the Prime Minister of Greenland might suffer the same fate as Maduro – or that the United States might "invade our country."
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