Greenland’s leader says he cannot rule out an American attack
- The San Juan Daily Star
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
By AMELIA NIERENBERG and MAYA TEKELI
The United States is “not likely” to use military force against Greenland but an attack cannot be completely ruled out, Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said Tuesday, as President Donald Trump repeated his threat to seize control of the semiautonomous Danish territory.
Nielsen appeared at a news conference in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, beside a former prime minister, Mute B. Egede, who said that territorial officials were reviewing their civil preparedness strategies. Those preparations could include asking all households to have five days of food supplies, Egede said.
“We must be prepared for all the things that may happen,” said Egede, who is now a member of Greenland’s parliament.
Both officials reiterated that Greenland — as part of the Danish Kingdom — is part of NATO and warned that any escalation would have consequences beyond the territory’s shores. They also condemned Trump’s threats on social media, which Nielsen called “disrespectful.” He said Greenland would respond through formal channels.
Trump has not yet directed the Pentagon to draw up plans for an invasion of Greenland or the aftermath of such an operation, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters.
So far, there has been no official call for Greenlanders to stock up on essential household supplies.
Similar messages from governments in the Nordic region have been issued to address rising threats in recent years. In late 2024, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway updated their advice for citizens preparing to survive war and other crises. At the time, their main concern was Russian aggression.
Trump’s insistence that the United States will take action regarding Greenland “whether they like it or not” has upended the long-standing international order.
The U.S. president, emboldened since the U.S. military captured the Venezuelan president in a raid, has made aggressive statements about Greenland, threatening to impose tariffs on long-standing European allies to force negotiations to take control of the island. The result has been that Greenland is afraid, Denmark is angry and Europe is standing in opposition to Trump.
Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, on Tuesday remained in Copenhagen to address Denmark’s parliament instead of attending the start of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She said neither the Danes nor the Greenlanders had wished to become “the center of a conflict between the United States and Europe.”
Hours after Trump ratcheted up his feud with European leaders, Frederiksen described his actions as a threat to Danish territory and Greenland’s right to self-determination. She warned that neither the United States nor Denmark would benefit from a trade war.
“On both sides, a trade war will cost jobs,” she said, a day before Trump was expected to attend the World Economic Forum. “On both sides, it will harm the economy.”
Trump has repeatedly said control of Greenland is a matter of U.S. national security. On Monday, Denmark sent a small contingent of about 100 soldiers to western Greenland, along with the Danish army chief, Peter Boysen, the Danish state broadcaster reported.
Analysts have said Denmark’s move to increase its military presence in Greenland seems to be part of an effort to show Trump that the country is taking his concerns about security seriously.
For their part, Greenland’s leaders have repeated their position that the island is not for sale, and that they do not want to be part of the United States. Nielsen said that if Greenlanders had to choose, they would rather stay aligned with Denmark, their former colonizer.
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