Just two months ago, NATO was in the middle of an existential crisis over President Donald Trump’s insistence that the U.S. take control of Greenland. He threatened tariffs and refused to rule out military action, but eventually backed down.
Then on Sunday, Trump demanded the alliance help him clear the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on the Islamic republic two weeks ago.
We – the Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries and Canada – met in Oslo today, 15 March 2026.
At a time characterized by heightened geopolitical tension, war and a multitude of crises, we are united in the view that international cooperation, based on international law, shared values and interests, remains the best way to strengthen our common security and prosperity.
As democracies and countries committed to the rule of law, human rights, and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states, we share fundamental values, and strengths.
Today we have agreed to deepen cooperation between our countries to ensure the safety, security and sovereignty of our people, and to build prosperous and green economies of the future.
(March 13, 2026)
The display of military force follows threats from Trump to annex Canada and take over the Danish territory of Greenland for national security purposes
(February 14, 2026)
Earlier today, the Danish PM was asked whether the crisis has passed now that negotiations are taking place between Copenhagen and Washington, to which she replied that she doesn‘t believe so.
„I think the desire from the US president is exactly the same. He’s very serious about this,“ she said.
She‘s also reiterated it isn‘t possible to put a price on the island and that sovereignty needs to be respected – adding that the Greenlandic people have already signalled they do not want to be American.
(January 22, 2026)
NATO chief Mark Rutte cannot negotiate on behalf of Denmark over Greenland, the Danish government said on Thursday, a day after US President Donald Trump announced a deal following talks between the two men.
Trump backed down on threats to seize Greenland by force after meeting Rutte on Wednesday, saying he had reached a „framework“ of a deal on the Danish autonomous territory.
Her comments follow what Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte have described as an agreed „framework deal“ on Greenland amid escalating White House threats over the territory. The announcement was made at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 21.
But days after that announcement, top Greenlandic and European officials are still unclear about what Trump and Rutte agreed to in Davos. Details about the deal have not been disclosed.
(January 24, 2026)
His desire for Greenland dominated much of his trip to Davos this week and, after a meeting with NATO Chief Mark Rutte, Trump announced there was a “framework” for a deal.
Besonders beunruhigend sei aus Sicht Grönlands und Dänemarks die Bereitschaft der Trump-Regierung, offen zu handeln, ohne sich erkennbar auf internationales Recht zu berufen. Die Aktion in Venezuela habe zudem die außergewöhnlichen Fähigkeiten der USA demonstriert, einschließlich erheblicher Geheimdienst- und Militärmacht.
Das Verhältnis zwischen den USA und Dänemark gleiche derzeit einer Katze, die mit einer Maus spiele, so Bertelsen. Die Machtverhältnisse seien extrem unausgeglichen. Die Vereinigten Staaten könnten Dänemark und Europa nach Belieben bedrohen und demütigen.
Der NATO-Chef ist bekannt dafür, im Umgang mit Trump auf eine Umarmungsstrategie zu setzen. Kritische Worte Richtung Washington werden von ihm nicht zu hören sein.
(…)
Während Dänemark und Spanien die Übernahmefantasien des US-Präsidenten verurteilen und der spanische Regierungschef Pedro Sanchez sogar von einem „Verbrechen“ sprach, schlägt Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen bei der Übergabe der Ratspräsidentschaft diese Woche an Zypern leisere Töne an.
(…)
Es sei keinesfalls so, dass die Europäer keine Hebel hätten, um den USA deutlich zu machen: „Damit ist jetzt Schluss.“
Doch von solchen Maßnahmen gegen die USA ist in Brüssel nichts zu hören.
Trump said that if he is unable to make a deal to acquire the territory “the easy way,” then he will have to “do it the hard way.”
“We are going to do something in Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland,” Mr. Miller told Jake Tapper, the CNN host, after being asked repeatedly whether he would rule out using military force.
The remarks were part of a vocal push by Mr. Miller, long a powerful behind-the-scenes player in Trump administration policy, to justify American imperialism and a vision for a new world order in which the United States could freely overthrow national governments and take foreign territory and resources so long as it was in the national interest.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that any bid by the United States to take over Greenland will result in the end of the NATO military alliance, as reverberations from Washington’s military attack on Venezuela and the abduction of its leader are felt across the globe.
Frederiksen made the comments on Monday following US President Donald Trump’s latest calls for the Arctic island to come under direct control of Washington.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says a US annexation of Greenland, a sovereign part of the Kingdom of Denmark, would mean that ‚everything would be over‘ as parliament‘s Foreign Affairs Committee was summoned to an extraordinary meeting in Copenhagen.
The territory‘s prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said „that‘s enough now“ in a response on social media.
„No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation,“ Nielsen said on Facebook.
„We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law,“ he said
„We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,“ Trump said.
„We need Greenland from a national security situation. It‘s so strategic,“ he added.
President Trump has also threatened military action against Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Iran and Mexico, following the U.S. attack on Venezuela. Speaking to reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One, Trump specifically targeted Colombian President Gustavo Petro and claimed without evidence that Petro was trafficking cocaine into the U.S.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday that it makes „absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland.“
„The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom,“ she said, adding: „I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.“
Denmark and Greenland each made their displeasure known on Sunday after the wife of President Donald Trump’s most influential aide posted a social media picture of Greenland painted in the colours of the US flag.
Katie Miller – wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller – posted the contentiously altered image of the Danish autonomous territory late Saturday, after the US military operation against Venezuela.
Her post had a single word above it: “SOON.”
“We are summoning the US ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shortly for two reasons: to clearly state our objection and to request an explanation,” Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told broadcaster TV2.
Løkke said any move that challenges the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark is unacceptable.
„I am deeply angered by the appointment and the statement, which I find totally unacceptable,“ he also said.
The USA should respect Greenland’s autonomy and its status as part of Denmark, says Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, following the appointment of an American envoy to Greenland. Rasmussen emphasized that all, including the USA, must respect the kingdom’s territorial integrity.
US-Präsident Donald Trump hat erneut sein Interesse an Grönland klargemacht. Wenn man sich die Insel entlang der Küste anschaue, sehe man überall russische und chinesische Schiffe, sagte er vor Journalisten in Florida. „Wir brauchen Grönland für die nationale Sicherheit. (…) Wir müssen es haben.“