Camilla Jessen
Denmark warns NATO ends if US takes Greenland.
A diplomatic warning from Copenhagen has intensified tensions across the Atlantic.
Danish leaders say recent rhetoric from Washington has forced them to confront scenarios once considered unthinkable.
The dispute centres on Greenland and fears that long standing alliances could fracture.
Alarm in Copenhagen
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that NATO would effectively cease to function if the United States attempted to seize Greenland.
She was responding to renewed remarks by US President Donald Trump about acquiring the Arctic island.
Speaking to Danish broadcaster TV2, Frederiksen said: “If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops.” She added: “That is, including our NATO and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.”
According to TV2, Frederiksen stressed that such a move would fundamentally undermine trust within the alliance.
Trump’s renewed focus
Trump has repeatedly raised the idea of US control over Greenland during his presidential transition and early second term, not ruling out military force.
On Sunday, he told reporters: “let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”
Frederiksen said Trump “should be taken seriously” when he speaks about Greenland. “We will not accept a situation where we and Greenland are threatened in this way,” she said.
The comments followed a surprise US military operation in Venezuela, which, according to international media, heightened anxiety in Denmark and Greenland.
Greenland pushes back
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, rejected comparisons with Venezuela during a press conference on Monday.
“We are not in a situation where we think that there might be a takeover of the country overnight,” he said.
He added: “The situation is not such that the United States can simply conquer Greenland.” Nielsen called for calm and said Greenland wanted continued cooperation with the US.
Greenland is a semi autonomous Danish territory and part of NATO.
Rhetoric intensifies
TV2 political journalist Ask Rostrup wrote on the broadcaster’s live blog that Frederiksen had previously dismissed the idea of a US takeover outright. He noted that the tone of recent statements suggests she now feels compelled to acknowledge the risk.
Trump also mocked Denmark’s defence efforts, saying the country had added “one more dog sled” to Greenland’s security.
“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security,” he said.
Security analyst Ulrik Pram Gad of the Danish Institute for International Studies has previously disputed Trump’s claims about Russian and Chinese ships near Greenland.
Sources: TV2, Danish Institute for International Studies, Express
