Denmark Warns of ‘Decisive Moment’ as Trump Again Threatens to Take Greenland

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said her country is facing a “decisive moment” in its diplomatic standoff with the United States over Greenland, after US President Donald Trump once again suggested that Washington could use force to take control of the Arctic territory.

Speaking on Sunday ahead of meetings in Washington scheduled to begin on Monday, Frederiksen said there is now an open conflict over Greenland that goes beyond the island’s future.

“This is a decisive moment,” she said during a debate with other Danish political leaders, adding that the dispute reflects wider global competition over strategic territory and critical raw materials.

In a post on Facebook, Frederiksen said Denmark was prepared to defend its principles in the Arctic, stressing respect for international law and the right of peoples to self-determination.

Germany and Sweden publicly backed Denmark following Trump’s renewed comments. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson condemned what he described as “threatening rhetoric” from the US president, after Trump said Washington would take Greenland “whether they like it or not”.

Speaking at a defence conference in Sälen, attended by NATO’s top US commander, Kristersson said Sweden, the Nordic and Baltic states, and several major European countries stood with Denmark.

He warned that a US takeover of Greenland, which is rich in minerals and strategically located in the Arctic, would violate international law and could set a dangerous precedent encouraging similar actions elsewhere.

Trump later repeated his position while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, arguing that the United States must acquire Greenland to prevent Russia or China from gaining influence there.

“If we don’t take Greenland, Russia or China will take Greenland,” Trump said. “One way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”

The US president said Greenland should agree to such an arrangement for its own security, insisting he was not interested in a temporary lease but in permanent ownership.

“We’re talking about acquiring, not leasing,” Trump said. “If we don’t do it, Russia or China will.”

Trump also pointed to existing US military bases on Greenland, saying they were insufficient without full control of the territory.

“You need ownership,” he said. “You really need title.”

Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and both Copenhagen and Greenlandic leaders have repeatedly rejected the idea of any transfer of sovereignty.