“Maischberger” in Greenland
Guttenberg does not rule out US invasion
01/20/2026 – 11:42 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
Criticism of Bundeswehr soldiers in Greenland is growing. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg warns of a US invasion at “Maischberger”. Markus Söder also gets rid of his fat.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) sent 15 Bundeswehr soldiers to Greenland. “Great achievement,” his predecessor Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg mocked the “exploration team” of eight NATO member states on “Maischberger” on Tuesday evening. The former CSU politician described those responsible as having a “communication disaster” – in view of the real danger that US President Donald Trump could invade Greenland.
Zu Guttenberg accused the NATO partners of only provoking Trump with the deployment team. Instead, it should have been made clear that only NATO obligations were being fulfilled with regard to the security of Greenland,” he said on “Maischberger.” But as it was, the whole thing went quite awry in terms of communication.
The former defense secretary warned against underestimating the US president’s ambitions for the world’s largest island. “The moment you take a deep breath with Donald Trump, the next fist flies into your face,” he said, attesting to the Republican’s attitude towards Greenland that went beyond previous deal-threatening gestures: “It has a harshness to it. It has a relentlessness to it.”
“There will be no troops in Greenland,” concluded political advisor Andrew Langer, who was involved from the USA. However, he justified this primarily with the impact that such a marching order would have: “It would be a kind of Rubicon that would then be crossed.”
According to the advisor, Trump’s threatening gestures are about a good negotiating position with NATO partners and Europeans in order to secure greater influence on the strategically important Greenland. “Neither Donald Trump nor anyone else in the White House expects Greenland to become the 51st state of the United States,” the adviser reiterated, translated by a simultaneous interpreter.
Zu Guttenberg objected vehemently. “I wouldn’t rule it out. Nothing can be ruled out with this man,” he said of military intervention. According to the former CSU General Secretary, it is all the more important that European heads of state and government coordinate their tactics against Trump. “However, I doubt that this vote has actually taken place in the way that was just discussed,” said zu Guttenberg.
