A man walks as Danish flag flutters next to Hans Egede Statue ahead of a March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 9, 2025. REUTERS/Marko Djurica/File Photo
(BRUSSELS) – European leaders are treating Donald Trump’s renewed talk of acquiring Greenland as a serious geopolitical challenge, no longer dismissing it as rhetoric. What once sounded provocative is now forcing quiet contingency planning across Europe.
Trump has framed Greenland as a national security necessity, arguing that Denmark cannot adequately protect it. “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,” Trump said recently, escalating concerns in Denmark and the broader European Union.
Some U.S. officials and allies have tried to soften the message while still backing the strategic argument. Senator John Fetterman said he supports the idea in principle but rejects the use of force. “I believe Greenland has massive strategic benefits for the United States. I do not support taking it by force. America is not a bully,” Fetterman said, adding that a purchase would be preferable. “Ideally, we purchase it- similar to our purchases of Alaska or the Louisiana Purchase. Acquiring Greenland is a many decades old conversation.”
Within Trump’s inner circle, the tone has been blunter. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller dismissed the idea of serious resistance, saying, “Nobody is going to fight the United States over the future of Greenland.” That confidence has only heightened anxiety among European diplomats, who worry Washington may believe it holds all the leverage.
Behind closed doors, Europe is weighing several responses- from offering expanded NATO cooperation and increased Arctic defense spending, to significantly boosting EU funding for Greenland to make staying aligned with Europe more attractive. More confrontational options, such as trade retaliation or military deterrence, are viewed as last resorts few want to test.
For now, European officials hope diplomacy and incentives can keep the issue from spiraling. But with Trump and his allies openly framing Greenland as strategically indispensable, Europe is confronting an uncomfortable reality: this debate is no longer theoretical, and the pressure to find a workable response is only growing.
