Germany Greenland's politics: Don't want to be Americans
While US President Donald Trump is once again threatening to take Greenland by force, the parties there are demonstratively united in rejecting his territorial claim. "We don't want to be Americans, we don't want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders," reads a joint statement by the leaders of the five parties in the Greenlandic parliament. However, Trump also warned Denmark, to which the island officially belongs, that he would like to make a deal, "but if we don't do it the easy way, we will do it the hard way".
10.01.2026, 11:28
SDA
Trump: doesn't want Russia and China as neighbors
"Because if we don't do it, Russia or China will take Greenland, and we don't want Russia or China as neighbors," said Trump, justifying his claim to the island. The USA would have to defend it. At a meeting with executives from US oil companies in the White House, he also justified the US approach in Venezuela with China and Russia. Without the USA, "China and Russia would have been there."
The US President had recently made it clear time and again that he wanted to bring the island, which officially belongs to NATO partner Denmark, under the control of the United States. He referred to its great strategic importance and the recent large presence of Russian and Chinese ships in the region. Trump's statements have caused a stir and caused concern, particularly because he has not yet ruled out military and economic coercion in order to gain control of Greenland. Four-fifths of the island is covered in ice and it is six times the size of Germany.
Greenland's politicians call for dialog
The USA would do something, whether it liked it or not, Trump said. In their joint statement, the leaders of the parties in the Greenlandic parliament Inatsisartut demanded that the USA "cease its disdain for our country". The letter goes on to say: "The future of Greenland must be decided by the Greenlandic people." An intensive dialog "with our allies and the countries with which we cooperate" must be ensured, it said.
Laschet warns of the break-up of Nato
Greenland, with a population of just under 57,000, is largely autonomous, but officially belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark. The Danish government firmly rejects Trump's claim. Head of government Mette Frederiksen warned of an end to the NATO defense alliance if the USA attacks Greenland. CDU foreign affairs politician Armin Laschet also warned of a break-up of Nato. He did not believe that it would come to a military conflict, "but the pressure is increasing. Europe must be prepared for this," Laschet told the Funke Mediengruppe.
When asked whether Denmark could count on the support of its European partners if it came to the extreme, Laschet replied: "We must make it clear to the Americans in diplomatic talks that military action against a small Nato country would destroy the last remaining trust in the alliance." An end to Nato could not be in the interests of the USA. "One thing is clear: the Europeans could not go to war against the USA," said the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag. Greenland is part of Nato due to its connection to Denmark.
Several NATO states are campaigning for an expansion of the alliance's presence in the Arctic in view of the US government's recent statements on Greenland. According to diplomats, one proposal is to launch a surveillance mission called the "Arctic Sentry". It is intended to take away the Americans' argument that security in the strategically important region cannot be adequately guaranteed.
NATO states campaign for Arctic deployment
The proposal was reportedly discussed at a meeting of the permanent representatives of the alliance states in Brussels. The "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung", among others, had initially reported on this. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Friday that he had spoken out in favor of an increased NATO presence in the far north in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and French President Emmanuel Macron. According to a spokesperson, Starmer said that the alliance needed to strengthen its presence there in order to deter opponents such as Russia.
The Greenland debate is highly controversial for Nato. On the one hand, the alliance must fear for its credibility if a leading member suddenly threatens to annex the territory of another state by force - especially in view of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and China's claims to Taiwan. On the other hand, it would be a super-GAU for Nato if the USA were to leave the alliance in a dispute over such an issue, because Nato's deterrence is based primarily on its nuclear arsenal and the strength of its conventional armed forces.
