Tensions in Denmark are rising as US President Donald Trump reignites pressures to take control of Greenland.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he will meet with his Danish counterpart next week in Washington to discuss the possibility of Greenland joining the United States.
When asked whether the US has ruled out taking the territory by force, Mr Rubio told reporters in Washington on Wednesday that, “If the President identifies a threat to the national security of the United States, every President retains the option to
address it through military means.”
The urgent meeting with Mr Rubio was requested by Danish officials, who are warning that an invasion of Greenland, which is part of the Danish Kingdom, would mark the end of the NATO alliance.
Western Greenland. Picture by: Alamy.com.“We feel that we’ve supported America so much throughout the years, and then all of a sudden they want to take some part of the Kingdom,” a Danish civilian told Newstalk reporter Josh Crosbie.
He added that the US was “bullying smaller countries”.
Mr Trump has long argued that the US needs to acquire Greenland on security grounds due to its strategic position in the Arctic.
In an interview with the Atlantic on Sunday, Mr Trump claimed that Greenland is “full of Chinese and Russian ships” and that Denmark is incapable of defending the territory properly.
Another Danish citizen highlighted that the US already has military access to Greenland and has had a military base on the territory for decades.
“We are a part of NATO here in Denmark, Greenland is a part of NATO," he pointed out.
“If they want a stronger Greenland military, they can invest in military bases."
“It's sad that a superpower would go that low,” he added.
Read the full joint statement from 🇩🇰🇫🇮🇮🇸🇳🇴🇸🇪 here ⬇️ https://t.co/lUWca2VMUg pic.twitter.com/cjdKzLEWFG
— Denmark MFA 🇩🇰 (@DanishMFA) January 7, 2026
The US has maintained a military installation in Greenland since 1951 but requires the consent of Denmark to expand any military operations in the region under their defence agreement with the Kingdom.
Mr Trump has spent many years arguing that Greenland should be a territory of the United States but conversations were reignited following the US invasion of Venezuela, capturing the South American nation's President.
One small silver lining of the renewed attention on Greenland, another Danish resident argued, is that it could pressure Denmark to better support the Greenlandic people.
“We haven't treated the Greenlandic people good enough,” he said.
“But the good thing about this is now we are aware that something can be better.”
Written by Ella Anderson.
Main image: A split of Trump and Greenland. Pictures by: Alamy.com.
