The rift between the U.S. and NATO allies continues to grow over President Donald Trump’s repeated insistence on subsuming Greenland. Denmark is sending more troops and the head of its army to the strategically important, mineral-rich island, over concerns about Trump’s rhetoric. Meanwhile, Europe debates economic responses to Trump’s rhetoric and the U.S. military appears to be making some moves of its own, although the exact reasons behind them remain murky.
The strain on the alliance was exacerbated by Trump’s Sunday message to Norway’s prime minister, in which he linked his interest in Greenland to his not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
Amid the growing tensions, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced on X that it was sending troops and aircraft to Greenland to “support various long-planned NORAD activities.” When asked if the deployment was related to current events, a NORAD spokesperson emphasized that it had been in the works “for a while” and is “routine.” Regardless of how long ago these movements were planned, the optics can’t be denied.
At issue is Trump’s assertion that Greenland needs to be under U.S. control to protect the homeland from China and Russia. Greenland and Denmark — of which the island is an autonomous territory — have both repeatedly said the island is not for sale and have expressed alarm about threats of the potential use of U.S. military force to acquire Greenland.
In a short interview with NBC News on Monday, Trump was guarded when asked about his intentions to take military action against Greenland. He also confirmed that he will impose tariffs on Denmark and seven other nations until they agree to turn over the island.
“Asked if he would use force to seize Greenland, the president said, ‘No comment,’” the network reported.
Last week, we noted that some European nations were sending a small, relatively symbolic force of about two dozen troops to Greenland. The deployment of troops for an exercise known as Arctic Endurance was being held outside of NATO’s auspices. In addition to Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, and the U.K. were taking part. Germany and the Netherlands ended their participation after just a few days.
On Monday, the Danish TV 2 news outlet reported that Copenhagen is substantially boosting its military presence there.
“A large number of Danish combat soldiers, described as ‘a substantial contribution,’ are expected to arrive in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland on Monday evening,” the television station reported. “Army Chief Peter Boysen is arriving with the group.”
The new deployment “will contribute to the troop buildup of Danish soldiers that is currently taking place,” TV 2 added.
They will join 200 Danish troops previously deployed to Greenland, divided equally between Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq for Arctic Endurance, “which has been accelerated and intensified as a result of the latest statements from U.S. President Donald Trump,” the station noted.
Meanwhile, Copenhagen on Monday asked for a NATO mission to Greenland, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said, after a meeting with alliance chief Mark Rutte at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
“We have proposed that, and NATO’s secretary-general has also noted that,” he told reporters.
Trump’s message to Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre fueled growing concerns about Trump’s designs on Greenland.
“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,” Trump said in the message.
“The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland,” Trump added.
Store on Monday confirmed the message and said it was in response to Norwegian and Finnish concerns over Trump’s announcement that he would impose a new 10% tariff on Denmark and seven other European countries until “a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
The other countries affected would be Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland.
Trump said the duties would increase to 25% if a deal is not reached by June 1.
“’I can confirm that this is a text message that I received yesterday afternoon from President Trump,” Store announced. “It came in response to a short text message from me to President Trump sent earlier on the same day, on behalf of myself and the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb. In our message to Trump, we conveyed our opposition to his announced tariff increases against Norway, Finland, and select other countries. We pointed to the need to de-escalate and proposed a telephone conversation between Trump, Stubb and myself on the same day.”
“Norway’s position on Greenland is clear,” Store added. “Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter. We also support that NATO, in a responsible way, is taking steps to strengthen security and stability in the Arctic. As regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I have clearly explained, including to President Trump, what is well known, the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian Government.”
Trump’s stance on tariffs has European nations considering economic countermeasures. It “triggered an emergency meeting of European countries’ representatives Sunday,” CNN reported. French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly asked the European Union “to activate its so-called anti-coercion instrument, colloquially known as a ‘trade bazooka,’” the network added. “The trade bazooka could block some of America’s access to EU markets or impose export controls, among a broader list of potential countermeasures.”
European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas said Europe will stand its ground.
“Arctic security is a shared transatlantic interest, and one we can discuss with our US allies,” she stated on X. “But tariff threats are not the way to go about this. Sovereignty is not for trade. We have no interest to pick a fight, but we will hold our ground. Europe has a slate of tools to protect its interests.”
The growing tension has reportedly spurred Danish intelligence to issue a warning against using Bluetooth devices.
“It has been known among cyber experts for many years that there are vulnerabilities in the Bluetooth technology that many Danes use for headphones and all kinds of electronics,” the Danish Ingeniøren tech news outlet reported. “But in the midst of the highly tense situation with US President Donald Trump’s claim to Greenland, the Danish Defense Intelligence Agency (DE) specifically warns authorities, agencies and the country’s police forces against using Bluetooth headphones and AirPods in the service.”
Though U.S. relations with Europe are at a lowpoint over Greenland, Trump’s interest in the island is hardly new. Back in 2019, TWZ reported on Trump’s claim that his administration was considering attempting to purchase Greenland from Denmark, the U.S. leader noting at the time that the idea was “strategically interesting.”
Still, the U.S. maintains just a small presence of about 200 in Greenland as of now, according to Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
However, the U.S. operates one of its most strategic military outposts in Greenland. This is spearheaded by Pituffik Space Base, the U.S. military’s northernmost installation, a critical node in the U.S. ballistic missile early warning system, and also the world’s northernmost deep-water seaport. The installation also features a sprawling airbase. You can read in more detail about the U.S. military presence on the island here.
Our colleagues at Task & Purpose reported that the Pentagon “wants to spend as much as $25 million in major infrastructure improvements to Pituffik Space Base’s runways in Greenland. The overhaul of its airfield is part of other work planned for the installation.”
The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, defense officials told The Washington Post late Saturday, after Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to unrest there.
The soldiers are assigned to two infantry battalions with the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska and specializes in cold-weather operations. Spinning up troops from the 11th has some on social media speculating that the order is really in preparation for sending troops to Greenland, though there is no indication of that being the case.
Amid the festering controversy over Greenland, Russia is relishing how it is playing out at a time when it stands to benefit from a splintering of the NATO alliance and any reduction in support to Ukraine by the U.S. and its allies.
“The Kremlin said Trump would go down in history if he took control of Greenland,” Reuters noted. “President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev hailed the ‘collapse of the transatlantic union.’ Former President Dmitry Medvedev joked about Europe getting poorer.”
The media in Russia is also gleeful, with one publication calling the situation “a pleasure to watch.”
The situation is accelerating and it has the potential to fracture NATO in such a way that the alliance has never had to confront before.
We will keep you updated as all this unfolds.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com