Trump's Greenland Annexation Talk Called "Fantasies"
By Reuters | 05 Jan, 2026

The mega-island with a micro-population gets the heebie-jeebies from Trump's casual references to annexing Greenland as a US "national security" measure.

Danish troops practice looking for potential threats during a military drill as Danish, Swedish and Norwegian home guard units together with Danish, German and French troops take part in joint military drills in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

Greenland's leader declared "enough is enough," and Denmark's allies in Europe affirmed that the Arctic island's future must be determined by its people, rebuffing renewed remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump about acquiring the vast territory.

A U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and Trump's intention to oversee governance of the oil-rich Latin American country, have rekindled concerns in Denmark that Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, might face a similar scenario.

"Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must determine the future of Greenland and nobody else," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters. Starmer has sought to stay on good terms with Trump and adopted a less publicly critical approach than most other European leaders.

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to take over Greenland, an ambition first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency. On Sunday, he told The Atlantic magazine in an interview: "We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence."

TRUMP RENEWS GREENLAND AMBITION

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One early on Monday, Trump said he would revisit the topic in a few weeks.

"Threats, pressure, and talk of annexation have no place between friends," Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Facebook late on Sunday. "Enough is enough. (...) No more fantasies about annexation."

On December 21, Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland. Landry has publicly expressed support for incorporating Greenland into the United States.

Greenland's strategic location between Europe and North America makes it a critical site for the U.S. ballistic missile defence system. The island's significant mineral resources also align with Washington's ambition to reduce dependence on Chinese exports.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday that Greenland belongs to Denmark and suggested NATO could discuss strengthening its protection if necessary.

France also expressed solidarity, saying Greenland belonged to the people of Greenland, while a European Commission spokesperson said that the EU will continue to uphold the principle of national sovereignty.

Support for Denmark and Greenland also came swiftly from all Nordic and Baltic leaders. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Sunday that U.S. comments about needing to take over Greenland made "absolutely no sense".

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; additional reporting by Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm and Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo; editing by Mark Heinrich and Ros Russell)