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Major European allies warned the United States on Tuesday that they would “not stop defending” the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity following President Donald Trump’s renewed threats to take control of Greenland, a Danish territory and NATO ally.
The unusually blunt warning came as Trump and senior aides intensified rhetoric suggesting the U.S. could seize the vast Arctic island, home to about 50,000 people and prized for its strategic location and mineral resources.
Those threats — coupled with the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which the United Nations said undermined international law — have raised fears in Europe that Trump’s comments on Greenland may not be rhetorical.
European leaders were meeting in Paris with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. representatives including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to a White House official, as part of accelerated diplomacy aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Joint Warning From NATO Allies
In a joint statement, the leaders of France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Poland, Spain and Denmark underscored that Greenland is covered by NATO’s collective defense obligations.
“The Kingdom of Denmark — including Greenland — is part of NATO,” the statement said.
“Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in conjunction with NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the U.N. Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders,” the leaders said. “These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them.”
The statement emphasized that the United States remains “an essential partner” through NATO and a 1951 defense agreement allowing Washington to operate military bases on Greenland — but it drew a firm line on sovereignty.
“Greenland belongs to its people,” the statement said. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
Domestic U.S. Pushback
Outgoing Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a frequent Trump critic on national security matters, called the episode “embarrassing for the U.S.”
“Denigrating our Allies serves no purpose and there is NO upside,” Bacon wrote on X. “It weakens us by diminishing trust between friends, and Russia and China love it.”
Greenland Casts Shadow Over Ukraine Talks
The Paris talks are focused on Ukraine’s demand for “security guarantees” to prevent renewed Russian aggression, potentially involving a multinational force deployed inside Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the so-called “coalition of the willing” would make “concrete commitments” to Ukraine’s security as part of any peace settlement.
But the negotiations have been overshadowed by Trump’s remarks, which have unsettled the same European allies whose cooperation Kyiv says is essential — and whose security is theoretically guaranteed by U.S. military power.
Trump told NBC News on Monday that he was “very serious” about taking control of Greenland. His deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, went further, telling CNN that “obviously Greenland should be part of the U.S.”
“The real question is, what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland?” Miller said, adding, “Nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over Greenland.”
Potential NATO Crisis
Any U.S. military move against Greenland would mark a historic rupture within NATO. Denmark is a founding member of the alliance, and Danish troops fought and died alongside U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Many analysts say such an action would effectively end NATO.
“It would de facto mean that NATO was dead,” said Peter Viggo Jakobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College. “Many European nations would simply say, ‘We cannot rely on the Americans anymore.’”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen echoed that warning Monday, telling TV2 that “if the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops.”
Uncertain Path to Peace
Even without the growing alarm over Greenland, diplomats face a steep challenge bridging the gap between Russia’s hard-line demands and European fears that President Vladimir Putin could use any agreement as a springboard for renewed aggression.
Zelenskyy said a peace deal is “90%” complete but acknowledged that the final stretch contains the most difficult issues.
It remains unclear whether Moscow would accept any meaningful security guarantees for Ukraine, with Putin showing little sign of retreating from demands that Kyiv and its allies view as tantamount to surrender.
