Trump renews Greenland takeover demand at NATO summit; Danish PM says island 'not for sale'

Trump repeats Greenland takeover demand

At the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday, President Donald Trump renewed his push for US control of Greenland, telling reporters the autonomous Danish territory "should be controlled by the United States, not Denmark." He repeated unverified claims that Chinese and Russian ships operate freely around the island and accused Denmark of failing to invest in defense. Trump acknowledged that the Greenland dispute had strained his ties with the alliance. The demand echoes his January 2026 statement that the US "must have Greenland," when he did not rule out military force and was reportedly restrained by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The issue had receded after the US and Israel launched a war with Iran, but resurfaced at the Ankara gathering.

Denmark doesn't spend any money, and it's an important part of the world for the United States. It's surrounded by Chinese ships and Russian ships and we're not going to let that happen. Greenland should be controlled by the United States, not Denmark.

Danish prime minister pushes back

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded within hours, declaring that "Greenland is not for sale." She emphasized that Greenlanders have clearly rejected becoming part of the US and that she expects all NATO allies to respect Denmark's sovereignty and the island's right to self-determination. Frederiksen invoked Article 5 of the NATO treaty, calling it the alliance's "insurance policy," and said she had not heard any declarations undermining US commitments. She added that Denmark is prepared to defend "every centimeter of NATO territory."

Greenland is obviously not for sale, and Denmark expects NATO allies to respect the Greenlanders' right to self-determination and the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.

One of the reasons we created NATO many, many years ago was the principle that if something happens to one of us, everyone should stand in defense. Article 5 is our insurance.

Security cooperation and new patrol planes

Denmark already cooperates with Washington on Greenland security through a joint working group formed after January talks between Danish and Greenlandic officials and US Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. On Tuesday, the Danish government announced the purchase of two Poseidon P-8 submarine-hunting aircraft from the US to patrol Arctic waters around Greenland and the North Atlantic. Danish media interpreted the timing as a deliberate signal of Copenhagen's commitment to meeting alliance defense expectations amid Trump's criticism.

Greenland's own voice

Greenland's foreign minister, Mute B. Egede, posted on Facebook that "we, Greenland, decide our own future. It has always been that way and always will be." Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, has been an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark since 1953. Trump first proposed buying the island in 2019, an idea rejected by both Copenhagen and Nuuk.

Broader summit tensions

Trump also used the Ankara meetings to threaten withdrawing US troops from Europe, saying "we could pull all soldiers out of Europe" and questioning the value of the alliance. He said he might not have attended the summit if it were not held in Turkey, praising President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a "very strong leader." On the war in Ukraine, Trump said he had "very good talks" with Russian and Ukrainian leaders and that both want to end the conflict, though he added that peace "may not seem likely right now." He described battlefield images sent by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth as too brutal to view.