US claims on Arctic island
Attack or Buy: Conflicting US Signals on Greenland
Updated on 01/07/2026 – 05:53 amReading time: 3 minutes
Trump wants Greenland – and has for years. But it is unclear how exactly the US wants to gain control of the island. The US government is sending different signals.
In the dispute over Greenland, which belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark, the US government is sending contradictory signals: The White House is expressly not ruling out military action, while the Foreign Minister is reportedly talking about purchasing the autonomous Arctic island. The US government has recently massively increased its threats on the matter – much to the annoyance of its European NATO partners.
President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said of the American claim to Greenland on Tuesday evening (local time): “The President and his team are discussing a number of options to achieve this important foreign policy goal, and of course the use of the US military is always available to the Commander-in-Chief as an option.”
Trump is said to have called for a new plan to purchase Greenland
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is currently Trump’s national security adviser, reportedly said in a confidential meeting with US lawmakers that the latest threats should not signal a military invasion. The goal is to purchase Greenland, reported the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, citing people familiar with the matter. The meeting took place on Monday.
Citing officials, The New York Times also reported that President Donald Trump has asked his staff to submit an updated plan to acquire the island. Trump had already floated such a plan during his first term in office.
Denmark has firmly rejected the US claim to Greenland and the military threats. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said: “If the USA attacks another NATO country, then everything stops.” That would be the end of the Western defense alliance and with it the security architecture that has existed since the end of the Second World War.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, Great Britain and Denmark made it clear: Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders. “It is solely the responsibility of Denmark and Greenland to decide on matters that concern Denmark and Greenland,” said the statement, also signed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The government in Greenland, where only around 57,000 people live, also rejects the US government’s wishes.
There is also isolated criticism of Trump’s government in the US Congress. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Senator Thom Tillis, both members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said: If Denmark and Greenland make it clear that the island is not for sale, the United States must honor its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Trump repeatedly refers to China and Russia in his claims to ownership of Greenland. If you look along the coast of Greenland, you see Russian and Chinese ships everywhere, he says. It’s not about minerals or oil; the USA has enough of that itself. The US needs Greenland for its national security, he argues. Trump’s latest comments followed the US military operation in Venezuela and global concerns that he could now turn his attention to other regions.
