The coordinated pushback followed a weekend of renewed U.S. commentary about Greenland. On Saturday, Katie Miller, wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, posted an image on X showing an American flag superimposed on a map of Greenland with the caption “SOON.” The post drew immediate attention in Copenhagen and Nuuk, where officials interpreted it as another signal that senior figures close to Trump still favor bringing the island under U.S. control.
Hours later, The Atlantic published an interview in which the president again labeled Greenland a strategic necessity. “We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense,” Trump told the magazine, arguing that the Arctic is “covered with Russian and Chinese ships.”
Speaking to reporters on Sunday night at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump reiterated the position. “We need Greenland from a national-security standpoint, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said. The president also contended that European Union members would benefit if Washington controlled the territory, though he did not elaborate on legal mechanisms for such a transfer.
International law experts note that annexation of a self-governing territory without the consent of its people would violate the United Nations Charter. Denmark granted Greenland home rule in 1979, and the island’s parliament now oversees most domestic affairs. Copenhagen retains authority over foreign policy and defense in consultation with Nuuk.
Frederiksen reminded Washington that, as NATO partners, Denmark and the United States already share Arctic security responsibilities. Article 5 of the alliance treaty declares that an attack on one member is an attack on all, a provision explained in detail on the official NATO website. “I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale,” she wrote.
The latest dispute comes one month after Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland. At the time, Frederiksen and Nielsen issued a joint statement declaring, “You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security.” The envoy’s mandate has not been clarified publicly, and Danish officials continue to express skepticism over his role.
Imagem: Internet
Greenland has been part of the Danish Kingdom since the early 18th century. U.S. interest in the island is longstanding; in 1946 Washington offered to purchase it for $100 million, an overture Denmark rejected. The United States currently maintains Thule Air Base in northern Greenland under a bilateral defense agreement.
The rhetoric surrounding Greenland escalated amid a broader period of heightened U.S. military activity. One day before the social-media exchanges, American forces carried out what the Pentagon called large-scale land strikes in Venezuela, leading to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Both were transferred to New York City, where a four-count federal indictment accuses them of conspiring with drug traffickers over a 25-year period.
Despite the Venezuelan operation, Arctic security dominated attention in Copenhagen over the weekend. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen summoned the U.S. ambassador for clarification on Monday, according to officials familiar with the matter. No details of that conversation have been released.
Greenland’s government says it remains willing to discuss expanded cooperation with the United States on science, infrastructure and defense, provided negotiations respect its autonomy. Prime Minister Nielsen underscored that point in his statement, saying, “We are open to conversations. But it has to be through the right channels.”
The White House has not announced any formal proposal for territorial acquisition, and Congress has taken no legislative steps on the issue. For now, Danish leaders appear intent on drawing a clear diplomatic boundary: Greenland, they say, is not on the market.
Crédito da imagem: Alex Brandon / Associated Press
